For Always and Forever
by emberfire411
Summary: How did Bloom and Andy ever meet anyway? Well, there was a party, drinking, drugs...just a rough night in general. Gardeinashipping.  Yes, this is still DRN; just a new title
1. Damn Rough Start

******Hello everyone and welcome to my first gardeniashipping story!**

******But oh, you have a question before we start? Yes, you there. What...this is a different title? This story was originally called Damn Rough Night? Why yes it was, thank you for noticing! Since Fanfiction is going through and deleting 'inappropriate titles', I wanted to stay on the safe side. Especially since I know this story has so many fans, the last thing I want is to have this taken down.**

**Now, for those of you just joining us; welcome! Like I was saying, I was always curious how Bloom and Andy met way back in the day, so I gave up on wondering and wrote it myself! So read on and enjoy!**

"It's a party, Andy. You have to come."

"It's Mitzi's party, so forget it."

Ryo rolled his eyes at his best friend of seven years. "Come on, there's gonna be football, music, swimming, more hot girls than we can count…"

"So in other words it's just like those dreams you have after long days of failing to impress girls?"

"It's the entire freshman class and half of the sophomores on Mitzi's freaking huge estate! Forget about the girls; how about the dream of getting our band started?"

With those words Andy finally opened his right eye to look at his friend. He seemed a little blurry; wither it was from not wearing his glasses or the fact he was lying back on a high branch on the oak tree in his yard he wasn't sure. He needed to get those contact lenses. "Look," he said, closing his eye again, "until Mark can play base to 'Nine in the Afternoon', I say we have no band."

A pinecone made contact with his head. "Will you please just stuff it and come? It's the first major party of the year, and considering we're in high school now, we need social reputation. You're the one who didn't want to spend the year eating with the chess club; why would you bail?"

"I repeat; Mitzi's party. That girl is the definition of the word 'bitch', and I refuse to spend the night listening to her flirt with me and tell me how, like totally cool my shoes are," he imitated her high, nasally voice.

Ryo grinned at him. "I'll keep you safe from her; I promise. Come on, Mark just got his driver's license and Roxy wants to go to the party."

It was true that Mark was a year older than them, but he had been held back so he was in their grade. And Roxy did love parties…well, she'd been a bit more outgoing ever since she'd dyed her hair pink. It was going to be a weekend because she lost a bet, but she'd never gotten around to changing it back to her natural dark brown. It suited her, actually. And pretty soon it'd be too cold to swim; you already couldn't go into the ocean without a wetsuit on. Andy opened his eye again to look at Ryo. "Besides the swimsuit option, do I need to change clothes?"

"Nope. You look fine."

He nodded, picking a leaf off his bleached-stained jeans. "Is there going to be Miley Cyrus music?"

"I doubt it."

"If I get drunk, Mark drives us home?"

"Yes."

Andy paused for a second. "Buy me a Lamborghini?"

Ryo laughed a little. "Dream on."

"Worth a try," With that, Andy opened his other eye and sat up, his dark blue Abercrombie hoodie falling off the branch and plummeting back to earth. He reached over to a nearby branch, and grabbed a hold of the rope that supported the old tire swing Andy's father Jack had put up when he was a kid. He got a tight grip and let go of the tree branch, falling a story and a half to the ground. He forced his weight up so he just missed the ground and started gaining momentum again. Just as he reached the arch of the swing (about several feet off the ground), Andy let go of the rope, and fell right onto his trampoline. He gracefully took two long stride-bounces before hopping off and landing on the grass. "When does the party start?"

Ryo spent a second gawking at him before he shook his head. "You're crazy."

"What that? You should see me after a can of Red Bull," he replied, grabbing his jacket off the ground. "When do we leave for the party?"

"Mark should be here in an hour."

* * *

"I never got how Mitzi owns this huge place," Roxy said, tracing patterns in the window of Mark's dark blue Escalade (his parent's actually; heaven knows six dollars an hour at the ice rink couldn't pay for a car like that). "What do her parents do?"

"Who knows, and who cares," Mark replied, pulling up to the front of the house, "I like to focus on the simple things in life like reality T.V. and twice baked potatoes."

Roxy, Andy, and Ryo all exchanged a glance. It was unknown where Mark's love of twice baked potatoes came from, but it was evident if they ever ran out, he would go insane. "We understand your addiction," Ryo said sarcastically, "We're trying to help you Mark, but not many physiatrists specialize in vegetable obsession."

Mark rolled his eyes, shutting off the car. "You are so hilarious."

"The next Jeff Dunham," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows before stepping out of the car, slinging his brown leather jacket over his shoulder.

"Somehow I doubt it," Roxy muttered quietly as she got out the car.

"Shh…let's let him have his dream for at least another year. Then we'll begin crushing it like horrible friends," Andy smirked, getting out of shotgun.

"Yeah, but what if his jokes get good during that time?"

Roxy and Andy looked at each other for a second before cracking up. "Yeah right," Andy said between chuckles.

"What are you two talking about?" Mark asked, coming around the side of the car.

"Nothing," they said simultaneously.

"Liars," Mark smirked. "Come on, we're going be worse than fashionably late."

"Fine with me," Andy muttered, but he still followed Mark and Ryo inside the fancy doors of the house.

The party was already in full swing when the four stepped inside. The only lights were the flashing neon ones where a makeshift stage had been put together. Right now, there was a girl with blond hair up there doing karaoke to a Black Eyed Peas song. People were gathered around the stage, bouncing to the beat (drinks in hand), and others were mingled around the large room, some talking, some laughing, and some making out. In fact, just glancing around, it seemed like the whole house was jam packed with teenagers; not just the main room, but the each nook to the right and left. They might have been a living and dining room, but it was impossible to tell right now. And from the huge bay window, Andy could clearly see the pool out back, which was also full of high school kids.

"You think it's just the freshman and sophomores?" Ryo shouted to his friends over the noise of the crowd.

"Probably," Mark called back, "Gardenia High has fifteen hundred students, and half of that is seven hundred fifty, and considering we only have about a half of the sophomores and two thirds of the freshman…maybe four hundred kids?"

"Dude," Ryo said with a raised eyebrow, "It was a rhetorical question."

"Oh. Right…"

"Oh my god, Andy! I was hoping you'd be here!"

"Here we go," Andy muttered as he and his friends did a one-eighty. They found Mitzi, wearing a very short black skirt and a green cami, grinning. She had a beer in her hand, and was flanked by her clique, which was led by Elle (also in a very revealing outfit). Though there was a slightly ridiculous amount of glitter caked on her face, Mitzi seemed to think she was the light of the party; though with the reflect element, she was probably a disco ball.

Her dark eyes raked quickly off Roxy, Mark, and Ryo and came to rest on Andy. "I am so glad you decided to come. First high school party, so I wanted everyone here. My 'rents are out of town, so…you know."

"Yeah…" Andy said, trying to sound interested, "It's a great place you've got here."

"I know. And, oh my god, you shoes are totally cool!"

Ryo had somehow gotten hold of a plastic cup full of beer from the time they'd entered the house to now. He almost spit it out when he heard Mitzi say exactly what Andy had mimicked earlier. "How sweet."

"Thanks, Mitz. Anyway, I think I'm gonna hit the pool."

"Rockin, I was _just_ headed there."

A girl with black hair looked confused. "What? I thought we were going to go dance."

Elle quickly jabbed her. "What?" she said in sugar-coated sweetness with a dark grin, "No we weren't. Don't you remember, Miranda?"

It took the girl a full four seconds to register. "Oh _yeah_, we were."

"She's had a few too many," Mitzi quickly filled in, giving Miranda a 'your-so-dead' look. "We'll see you out at the pool."

"Sure. Just let me grab a drink."

With those words, Mitzi quickly turned and started making her way through the crowds. "Oh my god," she was already changing topics, "Guess which loser redhead showed up with Anna?"

"No way! You mean –" the rest of the conversation was lost in the noise.

"Well, I take it we're staying away from the pool?" Mark asked.

"Indeed we are," Andy replied, heading for the stage. When he reached the bar, he grabbed two of the newly beer-filled cups. "So who's got a plan for staying away from her," he asked, passing a drink to Mark before turning and grabbing another for Roxy.

"Drown her?" his pink-haired friend suggested.

"No."

"Aww come on, it's not that bad of an idea," Mark said absently, "It can't be that bad."

"No, not that. The sink…I mean, drink. Don't drink it."

Andy looked over at Ryo. "Are you ok, man?"

"No," he replied, gripping the counter. He looked pale. "Dude, there's something in that. Not alcohol. Some drug…damn, I'm already out of it."

Roxy raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you just can't take the alcohol?"

Just then, the girl at the counter turned around. "Problem?" she asked, raising an eyebrow that had multiple piercings.

Mark had just taken a sip from the red plastic cup. His face twisted, and he shoved the drink down with some difficulty. "What did you put in this?"

"How should I know?" she replied, sounding irritated, "I just heard someone was going to spike the whole keg with something."

Andy and Roxy exchanged a glance. They'd both had about half of their drinks. "Did you think to tell us that?"

The girl looked offended. "You didn't ask. Don't be so bitchy 'cause you didn't ask."

"Yeah," Roxy started, "But –"

"Can't help you." With that, she turned and headed over to a group of kids with multi-colored hair.

"Ok," Mark said after a moment, "We just don't drink any more of it."

"Yeah," Roxy added, "How bad could it be?"

"Exactly." Andy agreed, although he was starting to feel a little buzzed. Suddenly, the dance floor looked like so much fun. "Come on guys, let's…have…uh, some fun."

* * *

Andy woke up the next morning feeling wasted. Sure, he'd had a hangover before, but this was horrible. "God damn it, what was that stuff…where am I?" he muttered more to himself, sitting up in the bed.

It took a second to actually register he was in a bed. Looking around, he could only guess he was in one of Mitzi's guest rooms. The place was actually really nice looking with white walls, dark wood furniture, and green bedding and pillows. However, multiple plastic cups littered the floor, and just outside the window there was a line of toilet paper, which took away from the royal feel of the room. The next thing Andy noticed after he sat up was that it was freezing in the room. But looking down, his jaw dropped to find he wasn't wearing a shirt. He quickly reached down, and was relieved to find he still had his jeans on. However, they were partially unzipped, and his fear came right back. "What the hell happened?" Andy asked again, turning to get out of the bed.

And was again shocked.

In the bed next to him was a girl. From the way she had the sheets around her body, it didn't look like she had a top on. She was a redhead, she was good looking, and looked to be in a dead sleep.

Andy had no idea who she was.

And as if that weren't enough, she suddenly yawned and opened her eyes.

_I guess I had a damn rough night; I'm still piecing it together,  
__There's a girl in my bed, and I haven't even met her…_

**Let me know what you think; reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks!**


	2. A Party Song

**Ok, first off, I suck for not updating this. Really, I do. It was on my top list of updates for a while, but with finals I just couldn't get around to it. But I'm sure you don't want to hear my useless rambling of excuses for the late update, so just go read!**

"Oh my God!" the girl yelled, shooting into a sitting position. Her expressive blue eyes were registered somewhere between complete shock and pure anger.

Andy was a little relieved to find she was wearing a dark brown strapless bra and denim short-shorts. Things last night couldn't have gotten far. "My reaction exactly. Don't worry; I don't think we did anything…"

She wasn't paying attention. Instead, she got up out of the bed and started looking around the room for her clothes. "Oh man, what time is it? My parents are going to kill me when I get home…"

"Everyone's parents are going to kill them,' Andy said cautiously, throwing the covers back and getting out of bed. He zipped his jeans up. "And to answer your other question," he glanced down at his watch, which had somehow stayed on his wrist all night, "It's ten after seven."

The girl turned and gave him a look that could kill. There was no doubt that she was pissed off at him and the whole situation. Andy found himself retracting a little at the glare, and at the same time, he couldn't fail to notice how pretty her eyes were. "You," she said, jabbing a finger at Andy's chest, "You better damn well hope nothing happened last night. You probably spiked my drink."

Andy held up his hands. "I didn't. The last thing I remember is the girl at the bar telling me someone spiked the keg. The next thing I know, we're in here." Seeing her narrow her eyes he added, "Swear on my mother's grave."

She glared at him for a second more, then gave an annoyed sigh and turned around to find her clothes. "You really shouldn't say stuff like that about your parents."

Andy felt a familiar pang of anger and sadness. "Actually," he said, going over to a green couch to find his own clothing, "My mom died when I was little. She had cancer."

In the mirror image, he saw her stop. There was a long silence that followed. "I'm sorry." The redhead finally said.

Andy shrugged. "It's okay. I was little, so I don't remember her much. I take it you have both of your parents?"

"Yeah."

"Ah," he paused for a second, "I do swear, though."

"Yeah, but something freaky must've happened last night," she looked sheepish as she gestured to the Abercrombie denim, "These aren't my shorts."

Andy chocked back a laugh. "Wow," he said, glancing over at a dark brown chair. He noticed a piece of clothing lying on it. "So," held up a pair of white jean shorts splattered with red paint, "I'm assuming these are yours."

"Yeah. Here, I'll trade you." She held out his gray Savage garden T-Shirt Andy had gotten in a thrift store.

Silently, the two grabbed their respective articles and got dressed. The girl found her shirt (a long silvery tank with a jagged hem and a red ribbon around the waist), and Andy located both of their shoes. "So," he said to break the awkward silence, "Do you go to Gardenia High? I haven't seen you around."

"Huh," she seemed to have forgotten Andy's presence. "Oh – yeah, I do. I was in private for middle school, but it kind of got…expensive. I got sick a few days ago, so I missed the first day. And I thought I'd seen you before; your dad works at the fire station, right? Jack Picolli?"

Andy turned back to look at her, silently studying her face. He couldn't believe how clear her skin was, considering Mitzi always had something covering up her breakouts. After a second he realized besides a touch of mascara, the girl had no makeup on whatsoever. And she was…really nice looking. He quickly shook the thought out of his head as he clicked the pieces in his head. "Oh yeah your…Mike Holloway's daughter, right? Uh…Brystal?"

"Bloom," she corrected. "And you are...Andrew?"

"Just Andy now," he clarified, "Wow, I haven't seen you in years."

"I know. You never come by the station anymore."

"Well do you?" he asked as though the station was as interesting as a Math lecture.

Bloom placed a hand on her hip. "Yeah, I do."

Andy raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Are you grounded or something? Or do your parents just hate you and expect you to be a loser around there for your whole life?" He was trying to be sarcastic, but his tone had a bit more malice than expected.

Her eyes narrowed. "My Mom runs the flower shop on Akin Avenue, so I go over to the station after school to do homework. Is that too lame for you?"

He blushed. "I didn't mean…"

"Of course not," she said coldly. Bloom took one of his shoes and tossed it to him. It was a hard throw, forcing Andy to catch it like a football to decrease the force of the blow. "I remember hearing about you once," she continued, turning to a mirror and trying to put her bangs back in place, "When I was down at the mall some girl was gossiping about you, saying you were nothing but a smooth talker. I wish I would've listened a little more; maybe I wouldn't have come here." With a single movement she spun around and went to the door, throwing it open. Sounds cascaded into the room; post-drunk rambling, calls to parents, and stories from people who actually remembered the night. Bloom threw Andy a glance. "And just to tell you; my parents didn't want me. I'm adopted." With that, she stalked out the door.

_Oh shit. _Andy said to himself before grabbing his other navy blue Converse shoe. Just as he was in the doorway, he noticed that one of the candles that was resting on the vanity below the mirror was lit and blazing bright. He raised an eyebrow; he had been over there to retrieve his other shoe and he'd sworn the candle had been long since extinguished. He didn't have time to think about it, though. Andy raced out of the room after Bloom.

He stopped for a moment as he rounded the hallway. There were random kids around, sitting against walls and talking, some still in bed, some puking up whatever had been consumed last night. It looked like the hallway of a college dorm room instead of a four million dollar mansion (at least, that's what Mitzi bragged it was worth). He found himself on a balcony overlooking some informal living room. On the left side there were stairs that he assumed led downstairs, along with a desk covered with papers and a computer (which currently had a Wii remote through the screen). The right wall was an entirely made to be a bookshelf; the only other thing in the shelving was a giant T.V. Suede couches and armchairs were in the space, some together in makeshift beds and some torn.

"Morning."

Andy turned around to find Ryo coming up behind him, rubbing his right eye, "It's not just me right?"

Andy didn't need an elaboration. "No. I remember up to getting the drinks. You?"

"I was hitting on some dark haired girl. I have a feeling she's no longer a virgin…well, that's a hunch. She bitch-slapped me in the hall, so I'm just assuming I did something. And _you_…the last I saw of you, my friend, you were getting some major lip action with some redhead. Well, more like trying to de-sanitize her neck with your tongue, but the same thing." He paused, "You wouldn't happen to know where my shirt is, would you?"

He rolled his eyes. Ryo's actions surprised him and yet we're so within his attitude, Andy wasn't sure whether to be upset or dismiss his actions. He settled for dealing with it later. "Great. You wouldn't have happened to see that redhead, would you?"

"She might have been the one storming off down the hallway. I think she went," he lifted his hand, pointing to the stairs, and before he could finish his sentence, Andy was off down the stairs. "That way," he finished, watching Andy with interest. "All right then…thanks Ryo, I appreciate it…no problem Andy, glad to help."

"Hey," a voice behind him said, "If you'd stop talking to yourself, you'd be able to go and see that crazy pink haired girl who's passed out halfway over the balcony."

Ryo's eyes widened. "Oh my god, Roxy!"

He turned and raced down the hall.

* * *

The stairs led Andy into a gourmet kitchen. Surprisingly, he found a group of teens raiding the fridge, looking for something to snatch up before hitting the road. He also noticed Elle was part of the group, but he forgot the second he saw a flash of red disappear through an open archway. "Wait," Andy said, going through the space after her, "Bloom!"

"Can you please leave me alone?" she asked, not turning around, "I think I've had enough 'fun' with you for my lifetime."

The fifteen year old refused to take no for an answer. He reached out and grabbed her wrist in one fluid movement, spinning her around to face him. The action itself seemed much more 'Hollywood' due to the fact that the floor beneath them was polished wood with some fluid spilled over it, so Bloom did a full 180 degree turn and almost crashed into Andy. She had to put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself, but dropped it back down to her side the moment she could. Her eyes looked pained. "What, Andy?"

He sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make some comment about your parents. But if you went back about three minutes before that, you'd remember you accidentally took a jab at my parents, too."

She yanked her wrist out of his grasp. "There's a difference Andy. Your mother didn't choose to leave, but my parents did. And yes, maybe they _didn't_ have a choice, maybe they had to do it, but there is no information, there was nothing. I didn't exist before Mike and Vanessa adopted me; no birth records, no cliché '_I'm sorry we can't take care of you_' letter, no family heirloom, nothing. No one had heard of me, knew me. All I've got is the knowledge that I might be partially Italian."

"Maybe they didn't have a choice about giving you away. You know the whole thing about having too many kids and your already poor…"

"But why not keep contact? Why disappear? Why be ashamed of me?"

"If anyone's ashamed of you, I'd knock them senseless." The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he said.

Bloom looked just as surprised as him. Her gaze softened a little. "I…well, I mean…thanks."

Andy nodded, still surprised. "Yeah."

She sighed, "Look, it's probably just stress affecting me. I never go on about my birth parents like that. I've got Mike and Vanessa, and that's enough. I wouldn't care if they'd come back for me. In fact, I'm sure I wouldn't go."

He nodded. "That's very…brave of you."

"I guess," she said, still sounding a little cold, "I mean, I'll play out all these dramatic scenarios in my head, but they're just movie plotlines. Too much drama for real life."

"Unless you count the Real Housewives of New Jersey."

"Yeah," as she said this, Andy made a mental note that she didn't find his wisecracks funny. Her eyes were rolling a little, and she was biting her top lip. Everyone he knew cracked up at his jokes; in fact, no one had ever found his Housewives bit _un_funny. Bloom was defiantly not as dim witted as one of Mitzi's clones. Or as easily charmed. As he debated this, he barley herd her voice speak; "Well, it was…nice seeing you again Andy, but I really should be going." And without waiting for a reply, she turned and started walking again.

"This girl should count as my cardio in physical ed. for a week," Andy muttered to himself before racing to catch up with her again. "Wait!"

"What is it now?" Bloom asked, an irritated quality evident in her voice.

Though he already had doubts about his offer, he spoke; "Do you need a lift home or something? I mean if you're only a freshman you can't possibly have your license…"

To his surprise, he heard her chuckle. Granted, it was kind of cold and sarcastic, but he'd made her laugh. "Newsflash hotshot, Gardenia isn't that big of a city. And even if it was, I rode with Anna Ellis. She lives right down the street from me."

Anna, of course. Hadn't Mitzi mentioned a redhead showing up with her last night? Andy assumed it was Bloom. "So anyway," she continued, "I'd consider lying low for a while, because even if I lie to my parents about what I woke up in – or with, I should say; my Dad will be stalking any guy acquaintance I have; that includes you."

"You think that scares me?"

"No," Bloom replied, turning to face him with a grin, "But you should keep in mind that both of our fathers have been trained to use axes. Now, for the third and final time, goodbye, Andy Picolli. Please never write."

Andy suddenly realized they were standing at the front door. He watched Bloom give him a sarcastic wink, and then disappear out of the mahogany doors. After a few seconds, he walked over and slipped out the doors, just as Bloom headed over to the array of sports cars and SUV's that were parked in the front of the house (several we're crushing delicate looking rose bushes). He spotted Mark's car, but his eyes stayed on Bloom as she headed towards Anna, who was out talking with some other people. He saw at that moment that Bloom was different from any other girl he'd seen. In what way he wasn't quite sure, but she was different.

And he liked it.

"Andy? Hello…?"

"Huh," he finally realized a hand was waving in front of his face. He found it was Mark, looking very tired, "Oh hey, how long have you been here?"

"About ten seconds. What's with you? Hangover?"

"Don't remind me," he muttered, suddenly realizing his head was throbbing, "It was just this girl…"

Mark's eyes widened. "Did you knock someone up last night?"

"No."

His friend paused. "Did you want to?"

Andy shook his head; not in a 'no' gesture, but just to express his confusion. "I…"

"Hey, check out that girl on the balcony!" someone shouted from the group of teenagers pushing a car out of a rose bush.

Andy and Mark looked up to see a girl dangling dangerously over the upstairs balcony, halfway clinging to a flagpole, and possibly wearing just short shorts and a black lace bra. Add in the fact that her hair was pink and there was a boy trying to get her down, the odds were incriminating.

"Roxy!" both boys yelled, racing back into the house.

___Don't sweat it, forget it; everything is a-ok  
Just let it know that it's all to find another face  
__I make you come just to watch you leave, you walk around with my heart on your sleeve  
__Don't sweat it, it's over now; our time ran out…_

**So, what do y'all think? Is it good? Bad? Please let me know. Now that I'm on summer break, updates for this should be coming much faster. Later peoples!**

**ember**


	3. I Don't Wanna Be In Love

**What up people! For those in the US, hope you had a great 4th of July...heaven knows mine was interesting. But hey, who cares? So here's the newest chapter, please enjoy.**

"Come on, Ryo! You're saying that out of the whole school –"

"All the people you've made fun of or been rejected by," Roxy added, sounding smug.

"That you don't have her e-mail or anything?" Andy finished.

"Hey, don't rush me," Ryo said, giving him a glare. "You said she didn't go the public junior high school, and wasn't here on the first day of school. That just leaves the malls and the occasional trip to Six Flags to have her reject me. That is a very small window of opportunity; you know private school kids never have anything on sites unless they're total w-h-o-r-e-s."

"Another small thing is memory of rejection," Mark muttered from where he was sitting on the low brick wall, separating the sidewalk from the grass lawn in front of Gardenia High, one of his legs dangling over the edge. The four were in their designated spot on the campus, right under a large tree on the corner of the block. Roxy was leaning against the tree, glancing down at Ryo – sitting with his back against the tree, as he continued to type Bloom's name into different sites. Andy sat across from him, still within the shadow of the oak being cast in the early morning light.

"Come on man," Mark continued, "It was just a girl." When Mark saw the look Roxy was giving him, he held up his hands defensively. "I mean that nicely. Can't you just give up and find some other one to go after? Didn't you say you found six different cell phone numbers in your pocket?"

Andy shrugged, not bothering to point out one was Mitzi's and another was for the Rejection Hotline. The only reason he knew that was because he'd tried all the numbers, trying to find Bloom's. None of them had worked, and finally he had convinced Ryo (who had a surprising talent for computers) to run a few searches for him to try and find her on MySpace, Facebook, FormSpring, and sites like that (considering he didn't want to call the house phone and didn't have the courage to ask his Dad about her). Every result had turned up nothing. "I keep telling you, she was different."

"And I keep telling you; you were drunk."

"Not drunk enough to molest a pole," a girl who passed by on the sidewalk laughed. Her boyfriend cracked up too as they continued down to the main school entrance.

Roxy blushed and bent her head lower so her hair covered her face. The incident at the party had sparked some interesting names for her, the most popular being a contestant from 'Extreme Stripping'. It probably wouldn't have been too bad if a certain someone (cough-Mitzi-cough) hadn't taken pictures of her and posted them on the internet and e-mailed them to everyone. Now, Roxy had her own popularity, but not in the way she'd wanted. "Bitch," Roxy muttered under her breath.

Mark gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. "Don't worry, Rox. It's just post-party gossip. It'll blow over soon."

"Yeah. Maybe by the time I graduate." She grinned sarcastically. "How goes the search, Ryo?"

"After a search of Twitter, I have precisely…nothing." He closed the top of his Macbook Air and gave Andy a helpless shrug. "Dude, I've done all I can. And no offense, but I feel like a stalker."

Andy sighed and stood up. "I know. Thanks Ryo."

"If I may ask," Roxy said, picking her silver Marc Ecco bag off the ground, "Why are so interested in her?"

"Well…it's just…well, you know."

"Uh-huh," Mark grinned, "Your crushin' big time on her."

Andy's eyes narrowed. "I am not."

"I beg to differ. You agree Ryo?"

"A fool if I didn't," he winked, "Besides, someone needed to have a little luck at that party."

"Exactly. Rox?"

"Agreed," she said, tying her hair up in a ponytail.

"You guys are so supportive."

"And that my friend is why you love us," Roxy grinned as the bell rang, signaling the conversation was over.

* * *

"Andy Picolli? You saying Andy Picolli _did_ you?"

"He didn't _do_ me, Anna!" Bloom snapped, digging through her locker for her science book.

"Yes you may think that, but you woke up in bed with him. So I assume something happened," her friend replied, her short black hair staying perfectly in place as her head bounced up and down to the song that was playing on her iPod. One ear bud was in, allowing her to rock to the chorus of a Good Charlotte song and talk at the same time.

"Newsflash, Dr. Phil; you said you probably got laid that night, too."

"So you admit he did you?"

"Anna!" Bloom almost yelled, "Nothing happened! I can't even remember if anything went on because I was way too spaced."

"We were all spaced. It turns out it was Evan who did it. Mitzi would press charges, but that would mean her parents finding out."

"Oh please, like they would care. I've seen her mother; her face is so plastic she could be a Barbie doll."

"Don't forget the IQ of a bottle of hot sauce."

Bloom grinned, probably for the first time that day. "You should have seen her when I used to go over there, she was always spaced out. I swear she does pot."

"I bet you twenty bucks she does," the other girl grinned. After a small laugh, she said absently, "I bet he was a good kisser."

And just like that, Bloom was back to being annoyed. "For the last time, I don't know. Why are you bugging me?"

"Because," she sighed dramatically, "I've been going to school with that guy for years, and I know for a fact you have accomplished in one night what the cheerleading squad has been dreaming of for years."

"He's not that cute," Bloom muttered.

Anna rolled her eyes, "Don't let Mitzi catch you saying that."

"Whatever," she shrugged, "What does she see in him anyway?"

"Like I understand her. You're the one who used to be best friends with her."

"Yeah, back when I was seven."

Anna shrugged. "But still…"

"You know what; it doesn't even matter. There are tons of kids here, and I bet I won't have a single class with the guy."

"Well, you know the old saying about jinxing things…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Bloom said, "Are you going to come with me to get my class schedule?"

"Sorry, but I've got to head to English. I'll see you at lunch?"

"Yeah," she said, shutting her locker, "And please forget the stuff about Andy."

* * *

"Hey Ryo," Ellis (who went by his last name instead of Josh) called across the English room, "Rumor has it Eva Aldrez is taking out a restraining order against you because of something you did at the party. Care to share what it was?"

"Don't remember, but she slapped me pretty good," he laughed as he and Andy took their seats near him. "Actually, I got slapped by a lot of people that night."

"I hear you," Ellis insisted. "And my parents grilled me to death." He tilted his head to look past Ryo. "What about you, man? Anything interesting happen with you?"

"Not really," Andy replied absently, grabbing his book from his backpack.

"I refuse to believe that. I heard Mitzi was trying to get some quality time with you. Did she succeed?"

"Not by a mile," Andy replied as the she-devil herself entered the room, her clique following. Andy noticed Elle was there, so Mitzi obviously hadn't caught her raiding the house on Friday. He also noticed – to his discomfort – that Mitzi's eyes were right on him. She started heading over to his desk…

"All right, students, take your seats!" the teacher's voice rang out as the bell sounded.

"Thank you, Mr. Depauw," Andy said to his English teacher under his breath as the blonde man approached the board and gave a look that got everyone into their seats in lighting fast. The man wasn't the tallest, strongest, or best looking of the Gardenia High teaching staff, but the single fact that his eyes were dark like the night sky and could go from happy to furious in a fraction of a second made him the most feared of the teachers. Not to mention, he could catch anything that his students were doing.

"I trust you all had a nice weekend?" there were a round of mummers and snickers and a girl with a short skirt saying it was a _very_ nice weekend while winking at her boyfriend. "Good," Mr. Depauw said, barely paying attention to the responses. "Now, as you all know, we're getting partnered up for the Renaissance papers today. You and your partner will pick a writer and artist from the Renaissance era in Europe, and combined write a ten page paper, due in three weeks…" he paused from writing on the board, "Miss Ellis, if you could kindly shut your music player off?"

Ellis's twin sister Anna dug into her bag guiltily, grabbing her iPod. "_He's tryin' to forget her; that's how we come with him. When he first met her when they –_"she cut the song off. "Sorry, sir."

"Don't let it happen again." He said in a slightly dark tone before turning to face her. "Pick your partner."

"Um…Carly." She said after scanning the room.

"Josh," he continued, marking the names off.

"Ryo." Ellis said quickly, flashing Andy a 'sorry-but-I-really-need-a-passing-grade' look.

Andy gave him a smile as Mr. Depauw called on volunteers for picking partners. Most kids quickly said the names of their best friends or girlfriends or boyfriends or the smartest kids in the class. Andy didn't really focus until he noticed Mitzi's hand in the air and her eyes looking dreamily at him from the reflection in her compact mirror. In a moment of fear of being paired with her, his hand shot into the air like lighting.

"Mr. Picolli?" Mr. Depauw called, a smirk on his face, "You suddenly remember this is a choice of yours and not something I'm telling you?"

He cringed a little at the snickers of his fellow classmates. "No sir. Um…I pick –"

Before he could finish, the door to the room opened, and all eyes fixed on the girl with red hair and bright blue eyes who entered, her bag slung over her shoulder. "Um…this is English, right?"

Mr. Depauw gave her a look. "Yes. You must be Bloom."

"I am," she said, handing him a slip of paper. "Sorry for being late, the excuse note's on there."

"Yes," he waved off, turning back to his chart, "Now Mr. Picolli…"

"Bloom."

His teacher arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"You said to pick a partner. I pick Bloom."

Ryo's eyes widened in surprise. Ellis took one look at Bloom and gave his friend a wink. Anna had to bite back a snicker, and Mitzi's jaw dropped as her compact mirror clattered to the floor. And Mr. Depauw just acted as if every student picked the new girl as his partner, regardless of knowing them (or so he thought). Andy had a slight moment of victory and relief until he realized exactly what he said. Then, his eyes quickly darted down to his backpack to look for a nonexistent piece of paper as he heard his teacher say, "If you'd please take your seat, Miss Holloway?"

"Yes sir," Andy heard Bloom mutter after a moment. He listened as her sandals slapped onto the tile floor as she made her way across the room (and away from Andy, much to his relief), and sat down at a desk. After a few minutes, he risked a glance at Bloom, only to find her eyes focused on the board with an angry scowl on her face.

"Psst!" Andy turned to find Ryo holding out a piece of paper for him. He quickly grabbed it and slid it under his book before Mr. Depauw turned around. After a second, Andy unfolded the note, already knowing who it was from.

_You are _so_ dead._

_Everybody put up your hands  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love…_

**All right. So please click on that little button down there and tell me if you like where this is going, which OC's you like (like Anna and Ellis), and any suggestions you have for the story, because I'd be more than happy to hear them! Thanks guys!**

**ember**


	4. The Art of Losing

**Do you believe it? It's an actual update!**

**Ok, I know I've been completely neglecting this story, and I'm sorry. So I making it up to you by bringing you an update from my school's auditorium! We're in the middle of filming a project for religion class about Abraham and Ishmael (which by the way, has taught me I should _never_ have kids), and well...I got bored. So, without further rambling (that'll be at the end), here's chapter 4!**

"You my friend, are deader than a doornail."

Andy stared daggers at Anna as they walked across the open courtyard to the gym. Light rain was falling (not enough to cancel the class, unfortunately), as though the sky knew for a fact Andy was in trouble. "Oh gee thanks, Anna. I never would have guessed."

She shrugged, taking the gold zipper headband out of her hair. "Hey I'm just giving you fair warning."

"Appreciated, but greatly annoyed," he replied, shaking some droplets out of his hair. "Do you know what class she has next?"

"This one." She replied in a happy tone.

Andy groaned. "Please tell me your kidding." When she just started whistling a tune, he grabbed her shoulder. "You've _got_ to help me!"

"Hey I've got weights, not coed gym. You're on your own. Unless you want Mitzi for protection."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm going I'm going."

"Andy, relax," Anna insisted, shifting her shoulder bag to her other shoulder, "How bad could this be?"

As if on cue, lightning flashed in the sky, followed by a loud clap a thunder four seconds later.

Andy groaned, louder this time. "I'm doomed."

* * *

_"Oh Bloom!"_

"Oh no," the redhead muttered, pulling her gray gym shirt over her head as Mitzi made her way over to her, Ella and a blonde girl she didn't recognize flanking her. There was still an expensive looking diamond headband in her ponytailed hair. "Uh…hey Mitzi." Bloom said, gathering her hair to put it in a side ponytail.

"I need to talk to you about that little incident in English today." Mitzi was smiling, but it seemed to have a certain coldness to it. More than usual, anyway.

"We think you made a little mistake." Elle added, her manicured hands on her hips.

Bloom avoided rolling her eyes. "Look, you've gotta believe I'm not very happy about it, either."

"Oh considering what I saw at the party on Friday, I doubt that."

"You mean the party everyone was too drunk to remember where we were and Elle destroyed your kitchen?" she asked, crossing her arms. Her day had started out bad enough, she didn't need Mitzi to make it worse.

Mitzi glanced at Elle (who was blushing) out of the corner of her eye before smirking. "Bloom, I just want this year to go smoothly. I mean, we used to be the best of friends…"

"And then you started doing drugs and making out with homeless people."

Mitzi's smile – or lack there of, disappeared from her face. "You really want to play hardball on this? Fine. After this little 'project', you need to stay away from Andy."

Any other girl at the school would have been flipping out and nodding their head, scared of the threats that would follow. But Bloom had dealt with Mitzi for years. "Funny, I didn't think he was a piece of furniture."

Mitzi smiled darkly. "I'm sure. But I'm telling you to watch it, or else."

"Oh yeah Mitzi, that sounds _so_ horrible." Bloom said, turning back to throw her light brown gold flower covered shirt in her gym locker. "I'll be watching my back every single second and sleep with my eyes open. I'll…ah!" her sentence was cut off as she felt something ice cold splash her back through her cheap gym shirt and soak her. The extra blast of air conditioning in the locker room sent goose bumps down her back.

When she turned around, Mitzi was snickering, a half empty water bottle in her hand. "What was that you were saying?"

Bloom opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Elle cut in; "Are you ok, Bloom? You look a little cold."

The redhead's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything. Instead she turned on her heels and stalked out of the locker room, desperate to find the one person who could help resolve it.

* * *

"Ten minutes late, Miss Holloway," Coach Roman said as Bloom walked onto the field. Hearing her name, Andy sat up quickly from his sit-up position, causing his partner (who was holding his feet) to stagger backwards. "Not a good way to start my class."

"I'm sorry sir," Bloom said, tightening her ponytail. Andy noticed the fabric on her left shoulder was a darker color than the rest of her shirt…almost like it was wet.

Coach Roman didn't look pleased…though of course, he always looked like that around the other coach on the feild. Roman was right out of college, having scored the job at Gardenia High through an unfortunate incident involving the previous gym teacher and a banana peel (Andy still couldn't believe it). But there really wasn't that much of an age difference between the man and his students, and therefore he usually was much more easygoing. So in this particular case, he only sighed. "Run two laps for me, and we'll call it good. But hustle."

Bloom nodded and jogged off to the dirt track on the outer ring on the field. When she passed by Andy, she gave him a look that clearly said '_I need to talk to you. Now.'_

It turned out that was much easier than he thought. "Andy!" he called, "What are you doing?"

"Uh…nothing sir." He replied, dusting a blade of grass off his shorts.

Roman glanced from him to Bloom, and then back. A smile was barely visible on his face. "Darn right there isn't, and that's the problem. You're in this class to move." Andy raised an eyebrow, and he shook his head. "Miss Holloway looks a little lonely on the track. Why don't you go join her?"

Andy mouthed a 'thank you' to him and raced off, not even glancing back on his sit up partner.

_I don't wanna be like you  
__Can't you see it's killing me  
__I'm my own worst enemy…_

"Is there any particular reason your soaked to the bone?" he asked as he finally caught up to Bloom. He had to admit she was a fast runner. If he hadn't had been in track and field the last two years, he probably wouldn't have been able to catch her.

"This…is because…of your…girlfriend," Bloom said between sucking in her breath.

"What girlfriend?"

"Mitzi!" she snapped, "She dumped a water bottle on me with instructions to 'stay away from you once our history project is over."

"Ah, I was wondering why your shirt was soaking wet."

"Andy!" she groaned (well…as well as a person can groan while running), "I'm serious! This not how I wanted to spend my time here."

"Well what am I supposed to do about it?"

"Talk to her!"

"Oh yeah, good one. She's like talking to a brick wall in case you haven't noticed."

"We were friends in elementary school. Trust me, I noticed."

He glanced over at her and saw she was smiling a little. He considered it to be a good sign. "Look," he said after a breath, "You can transfer out of this class; I'll even fill out the paperwork for you. As for the rest, you just stay on the other side of the room and avoid her in the hallways. Doesn't get easier than that."

At that, she actually gave a breath of laughter. "Isn't that a bit childish?"

"Well aren't we all still kids?" he grinned.

Bloom rolled her eyes. "Are you ever serious?"

"Depends on the topic. Not that," he quickly added, "What's happening right now isn't an important topic. It is. It's just…"

"You're trying to impress me and your failing miserably?" she filled in, staring straight ahead on the track.

"I'm trying to get you to _like_ me." He stated bluntly.

There was a flicker of something in Bloom's eyes – too quick for Andy to make out. "You're basing whether you like me or not on a drunken night at a party hosted by the devil's spawn?" Before he could answer, she picked up her jogging pace, forcing Andy to speed up if he wanted to keep talking to her. "You've known me for exactly three days and you can't stop thinking about me?"

"Ok, now it just sounds stupid."

"It _is_ stupid. You honestly expect me to believe one day I'm going to fall in love with some beach blonde prince of a far away kingdom and live happily ever after?"

"Well…no," he sighed; "Look, I'm sorry about English class. I just really didn't want to work with Mitzi."

"No one does."

There was a few seconds of silence as they passed the class on the field. "Can I make it up to you?" Andy asked once they were out of earshot. "There's this one sushi house on Ninth Street –"

"You're not buying me dinner."

"No, I was going to say we could go there tonight and get a head start on the project. Its really a good place for working."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"Don't you want to get rid of me?"

Bloom glared at him for a few seconds. "Invite your friends – the ones you were hanging out with at the party. We can _all_ go together, and get head starts on our projects."

He tried not to look excited. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. What time do I need to be there?"

"Six," Andy said, doing the mental calculations in his head faster than any problem in his textbook. "We can all get dinner. And about twenty bucks to split the cost."

"All right then." And with that, she speed off – so fast that Andy couldn't catch up with her. He realized she'd been going slow for him the whole time. That was the first girl who'd ever been able to outrun him. And he now had a chance with her.

…Right?

_Hey ho let's go  
__I'm gonna start a riot  
__You don't wanna fight it  
__One two fuck you  
__Don't tell me what to do_

_Knock me down, I'll keep on moving,  
__It's the art of losing…_

**Ok, its short but I'm updating from _school_. So anyway, I kind of need a favor from you guys. If you haven't already noticed, every chapter title is a particular song...Damn Rough Night by Artist vs. Poet, A Party Song (The Walk of Shame) from All Time Low, I Don't Wanna Be In Love by Good Charlotte, and The Art of Losing by American Hi-Fi. And well...I'm kind of running out of song ideas. So heres the deal: when you guys review (wink), if you have an idea of a song that you think would go great with this story...please tell me! Sound good? Awesome. See you later guys!**

**ember**


	5. Fool Everyone

**Hey everybody! I know you could quite possibly want to kill me, and I know. I could give you a list of excuses as to why I've been neglecting this (and all of my other stories too), but I honestly have nothing other than I've been pretty busy lately. I'm going to try and update more often now, so I'm staring with this. And I just have one more note; thanks to everyone who posted song suggestions. It's greatly appreciated, and I will use some of them for future chapters. So thanks, and on we go!**

* * *

"I whip my hair back and forth! I whip my hair back and forth! I whip my hair back and forth! I whip my –"

"Ryo!" Roxy snapped, finally looking up from her Mac, where she'd been clicking away on the keyboard, "I'm going to whip your _head_ back and forth if you don't shut up!"

Andy smile a little as Ryo – seated comfortably on one of the dark red couches next to the sushi bar, gave a fake look of hurt. "I'm unleashing my inner pop star. Maybe I'll even buy a blonde wig and live out a double life between a regular kid and a famous tween idol."

Mark – who had two younger sisters, raised an eyebrow. "You do know she told the world her secret, right?"

"Really," he asked, taking a sip from the soup bowl in front of him, "That's stupid."

"Oh come on," Mark grinned sarcastically, "Now that she did, she doesn't have to worry about keeping her identities secret or ruining her boyfriend's life. She can…"

"Grow up to be an insane has-been star with sexuality issues smoking a bong?" Ryo finished. "Yeah, that's so much better."

While the two were arguing, Roxy leaned over the table to whisper to Andy. "What's with you? You're usually the first one diving into the soup."

"Huh?" he turned from the window to look at her. "Oh, nothing Rox. I…my mind must be somewhere else."

She sighed and leaned back against her chair. "She's gonna come. You do know that, right?"

"I hope."

"Look lover boy, why don't you have some faith in the girl? You two were best friends apparently."

"When we were five."

"So? Be thankful you're not with Mitzi."

"How did it go in your class? I know you're in Honors so…"

"All the sophomore boys tried to pick me hoping they'd get some action because of the rumors at the party." she smiled a little. "Mark totally saved my life."

"Maybe Bloom can realize I only picked her to avoid that."

"Sure she will. Something like that – along with trying to sleep with her, is a bond that can only be strengthened by sushi."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Confuses."

* * *

"I'm not going in."

"Oh yes you are," Anna attempted to pull Bloom into Sushi Fever by her arm, but she forgot that under her skinny figure were bones made of steel. "Come on, the project's like half of our semester grade. You look up Michelangelo or some other Ninja Turtle's name, combine it with Shakespeare and you never have to talk to him again."

"Anna," Bloom tried pulling her arm back. The two almost toppled into the bushes from the momentum. "Stop it."

"Look, I saw Ryo's car. You aren't gonna be alone with guy. Nothing can go wrong. Well," she paused, "Nothing worse than last time."

"You're kidding right?" Bloom asked. "After everything I said to him? It'll be a miracle if he doesn't bomb this just to get back at me."

Anna stopped and stared at her, eyes wide. "Did you just admit to liking him?"

"What?" the redhead turned to glare at her, "I did not!"

"Denial! You like him you like him you like him!"

"Why do you remind me of the Chihuahua in Oliver and Company?" Bloom asked, watching her bounce up and down.

"I'm happy because _you_ admitted it!"

"I didn't admit anything."

She shrugged, moving to the window to adjust her hair. Bloom followed, her arms crossed. "Well," Anna said, combing her fingers through her bangs, "It doesn't really matter if you like him or not, he's your project partner. And plus, your doing him a favor."

"What would that be?"

"Your keeping him from getting stuck with little miss high-and-squeaky-daughter-of-the-devil." She grinned while copying Mitzi's nasally voice.

Bloom managed a half smile. "I guess. But –"

"No buts! There are two options here – you go in there, or your getting a ride home on the roof of my car."

* * *

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Roxy called, looking past Andy, "Unless of course you're a Disney person."

Confused, he turned around. An array of emotions came over him as he watched Bloom walk toward the table, a smile on her face. She put her bag on the ground and took the seat next to Andy as though none of the insults of the previous days had ever occurred. "Why am I worried?"

"Who the hell names a town Crowley Corners?" Ryo snapped at Mark then.

Andy, Bloom, and Roxy laughed. "Are they debating Hannah Montana?" the redhead asked, shaking her head.

"You think that's bad, you should see them on their '90's ruled on Nickelodeon' rant. We'll be here for days."

"I almost got on Double Dare 2000!" Mark snapped, apparently listening in on their conversation.

"Yeah, but who'd let your sisters on national television?" Roxy smirked.

"…Point."

A round of laughs went around the table as the waitress appeared in a short-sleeved red shirt covered with cherry blossoms. "That's Kimi," Andy whispered to Bloom as she approached; "She goes to the night school for a degree in a nursing. She's more than used to us."

"I'm assuming that's a good thing?" she whispered back.

"Keeps us from getting kicked out." He replied smiling. By that time, Kimi had gotten there and was filling up Mark's water glass. "Any more drinks or food?" she asked, her voice holding a thick Japanese accent.

"Pepsi," Bloom said absently, grabbing the menu.

"A side of rice," Roxy added.

"I'll take a Sex on the Beach."

Bloom looked up at Ryo in surprise. "Excuse me?"

He grinned at her and pointed to an item on the menu. "If you think that's bad, you should see the Screaming Or –"

"Ryo!" Mark, Andy, and Roxy snapped while the waitress laughed a little. Bloom just looked at him like he was crazy. The waitress also noticed this and tried to contain another giggle. "Why don't we start you off with some California Rolls and a House Special? It might be better for your friend. And Mark, I believe there is a special surprise in back for you."

"The Megabucks lottery?" he guessed with a smile.

Kimi laughed. "Nothing so…rich. One second." With that, she turned and walked off.

"Okay," Andy said once Kimi was out of earshot, "you dare embarrass us like that again and you'll pay the entire fifty dollar bill."

"I say it was worth it for the reaction."

Roxy rolled her eyes. "Somewhere in a suburban home, Jeff Dunham weeps."

"Liar! He lives…somewhere else."

While they went at it, Andy's gaze went to Bloom as she took her laptop out of her bag. "Um…" he cleared his throat when Bloom looked over at him. "Sorry about him. He's…"

"Fantastically and superbly amazing?"

"Or a jackass." Mark smirked.

Bloom managed a small smile, even though she felt a little like the odd man out. She knew they were trying to make her feel welcome, but she still felt like she was intruding on a group of friends. "It's fine," she finally said. "So are there any ideas on the people we're doing for the project?"

Roxy, who had gone back to the computer, looked back up. "Well the artist is easy; just take your pick at a Ninja Turtle."

"Me and Ellis have dibs on the one with the purple mask!" Ryo reminded, twirling a chopstick between his fingers with expert precision. His six years of drum lessons had to come with a few perks.

"It's Ellis and I, smartie," Roxy said absently.

"What about that one guy who designed the roof of a whole church?" Andy suggested, grabbing a mini tuna roll with his fingers.

"The Sistine Chapel," Bloom filled in, already heading to Google. "Michelangelo designed it. I did a report on him for a final paper in my art class in seventh grade. I haven't looked at it in ages, but it could be useful."

"Alright, that makes us about a third of the way done."

"Leeching again, are we Andrew?" Ryo questioned with a smirk, ignoring Roxy's eye roll.

"Hey when have I ever leached?"

"There was that Biology project last January," Mark reminded him, grabbing a tuna roll as well.

"Oh please, I was recovering from the flu!"

"Swine flu," Mark added.

"Who do we always have to save in Guitar Hero?" he shot back, smirking. He was tempted to toss one of the mini rolls at him.

"Get real," Ryo backed up, and the boys were off and rolling. Roxy glanced up briefly with a small smile, but she stopped short when she saw Bloom next to Andy, twirling a strand of hair around her finger and glancing around the shop. She saw on her computer screen that the Wifi was having trouble connecting. Roxy felt a small twinge of guilt for her.

When Mark leaned out of the conversation to grab a chopstick, Roxy leaned down to whisper in his ear, "Bloom and I are going to step out for a second. Talk to your boy, considering this was his fault."

Mark looked at her quizzically, but she didn't look in his direction. Instead she stood up and motioned for Bloom to follow her. Together, the girls headed towards the back.

* * *

_"Sorry about the guys," Roxy apologized. The two were in the back hallway near the bathrooms, leaning on a crate of Miller Beer bottles. "They don't have much interaction with the opposite sex, despite Mitzi's attempts."_

Bloom groaned a little. "Don't remind me about her. I'm already in deep water over there."

"Someone a little jealous?" Roxy asked, smirking a little at the thought of Mitzi's red face.

"You have no idea. She dumped a bottle of water on me today when it was raining."

"That's Mitzi."

"Yeah, but the last thing I want to do is become a personal target."

"Welcome to the club," the pink haired girl replied. "I sure didn't miss the rumor bus when I wasn't on it."

"Do you even have any idea how you wound up on that flagpole?"

"Faintly, but if I tell you I can guarantee you'll lose all respect for me."

Bloom let out a small laugh. "After hanging out with Ryo? I already have an impossible amount of respect for you. You know," she continued, a little nervous, "I was going to ask….Anna knows you, and so does Ellis…and Andy, Mark and Mr. Comedy Star…and I was wondering…"

"Why do I waste my time with them when I could more than likely slip into one of the girly cliques who gossip about MTV?"

"Well…I meant it a little nicer…"

Roxy nodded, still smiling a little. "I guess I'm just more of a tomboy. I had this whole volunteer thing for one of my favorite animal shelters, and I got paired up with those three. I think Andy wanted me around because he couldn't stand Ryo's annoying jokes."

"They were worse?"

"You have no idea. But Andy…" she bit her lip, debating her next words. She decided she didn't have anything to lose; "Andy's a good guy. Though it may not seem like it, he's really sweet, and if you want, can get Mitzi off your back."

Bloom's eyes widened a little. "Really?"

"Sure. I honestly think he likes you."

The look of surprise turned into a smirk. "No offense to your detective skills, Roxy, but I think I already figured it out."

She laughed. "That's another thing; I need another girl around here with an actual sense of humor. And maybe a shopping trip or two that doesn't involve a guitar store. I have the musical ability of a Disney star."

"I don't think my jokes count as very good humor."

Roxy shrugged, a small smile still on her face. "Better than Ryo any day."

* * *

"Okay, so right after that she turns around, and she _falls_ right off the stage."

Bloom and the others burst out laughing as Mark continued to tell his story from the school drama camp that'd been held the previous summer. "I swear, Mitzi had grass in her hair for a week, it was the funniest thing. And as if that weren't enough, her group lost the final round, making the winner yours truly."

Of course, the fact said story was about Mitzi embarrassing herself made it much more fun.

"Oh my God, why have I never gone to a drama camp before?" Ryo questioned, popping a piece of sushi into his mouth.

"Because Mitzi stopped that same year," Mark finished.

Bloom was trying to contain a fit of giggles. "Man, and I thought _my_ stories about her were incriminating."

"You gotta love the bond of hatred towards another person," Andy grinned, holding out a mini California Roll. "You want one?"

Bloom allowed herself to give a small genuine smile as she took it out of his hand. "Yeah, thanks." She also smiled as Mark gave him a look of approval.

As they were talking Kimi approached, carrying the check and a foil wrapped plate. "This is for you guys; five dollars off for running out that family with the screaming kid."

Andy smilied. "You don't have to take anything off for us. Ryo was just being his impolite self."

From next to him, Ryo let out a sigh, "You call the Jonas Brothers a gay trio in front of a six-year-old, and suddenly you're a devil."

"Well you're a hero to us," Kimi grinned. "So there's that. And Mark," her smile widened as she placed the foil wrapped plate in front of him. "Just a little something for you."

He looked at her suspiciously. "Will it bite me?"

"I don't know."

After giving her another look, he carefully unwrapped a corner and peeked inside. His eyes widened and he turned back to Kimi. "You didn't."

"We did."

"Kim!" he cried, suddenly ecstatic. "I _love_ you!"

She laughed a little as everyone else gave him a look. "What is it?" Roxy asked, cautiously making sure Mark wouldn't do anything insane to her.

He grinned triumphantly and ripped back the foil. Sitting on the plate, steaming warm, was a twice-baked potato, covered in cheese and bacon.

Andy, Ryo, and Roxy burst out laughing, and Bloom shook her head in confusion. "Am I missing something?" she asked Andy once his laughter died down a little.

He put his head in his hand, still chuckling. "You'll figure it out as we go along."

_I feel you whispering  
__It's chilling my bones  
__I'm feeling something  
__That I never used to feel on my own  
__Oh no, oh no  
__You're never gonna stop us  
__You'll never stop_

* * *

**All right! The song - if you don't know - is _Fool Everyone_ by A Rocket to the Moon. I'm going to start doing song annotations now, for obvious reasons. Anyway, updates I'm hoping will be more frequent, and please leave your words in a review for me! As for me, I'm going back to Spanish class. Tengo mucho tarea...~sigh~ ****Adios guys!**

**ember**


	6. Love, Lust, or Losing It?

**What is up guys? After a long wait, I present chapter 6! So go and enjoy yourselves**

* * *

"You all have twenty minutes today to work on your projects," Mr. Depauw said, looking up at the clock above his desks. "I expect to hear chatter only on the Renaissance era. You may go."

The English room erupted in chatter as people walked to their partners, most of them discussing everything but the project. Andy almost expected his teacher to start yelling, but he already has his earphones in, staring intently at the screen. Though he always told his students he was grading, Andy knew for a fact he was probably on EHarmony again.

He was looking over his research for Miguel de Cervantes when a shadow passed over his desk. "Okay so I –" Andy stopped short when he saw it wasn't Bloom standing over him. "Oh. Hey, Mitzi."

The girl grinned at him, something that almost chilled Andy to the bone. "Hey. How's your project coming?"

"Fine," he said absently, looking through his online biography and highlighting random bits of information. He hoped it would give Mitzi the hint to leave him alone.

No such luck. She sat down on the seat next to him, wearing a pair of mint green jeans and lacy black top. She looked over his shoulder at the pages, almost resting her chin on his shoulder. "Looks like you got a lot."

He shrugged, disappointed when he didn't jab her in the chin. "It's usually better just to get stuff over with, you know?"

"I totally agree."

"Right. So…how are you Anna coming along?" he momentarily glanced over at his friend, feeling sorry she'd gotten stuck with Mitzi as a partner.

"We're doing fine. You know," she continued, a low smirk appearing on her face, "it's a shame we didn't get to partner up for this."

Andy gulped, fiddling with his glasses a little. "Yeah. Real pity."

He tried not to shudder as he felt Mitzi leaning closer. "You know –"

"Sorry I'm late," a voice cut in, sounding a bit to rushed to be real. Andy looked up and found Bloom standing over them, a few papers in her hand. "I had to print these off in the library. I wasn't gone for too long, was I?" she asked, her eyes sliding to the seat next to Andy. "Oh, hey Mitzi."

"Hi," she said shortly.

"Well, I'm sorry to break you guys up, but I really need Andy right now." Bloom said, not looking the least bit afraid of the ice in the other girl's eyes.

She was about to speak when she noticed Mr. Depauw was making a sweep of the room. "Of course," she said, sounding overly sweet. "Good luck with your project." She stood up and walked off towards Anna. At the last second, she dragged her foot out so it caught the strap of Bloom's backpack. It tumbled over, everything from textbooks to pencils crashing onto the floor. She didn't even stop to say anything.

Bloom and Andy exchanged a look and went to pick up the school supplies. "Stupid little bitch," Bloom said under her breath.

"I know," he replied, grabbing the discarded pens and pencils. "At least she can't do much."

"Yet," Bloom muttered, almost too soft for Andy to hear.

"Don't say that," he said as the two stood up, everything from Bloom's backpack picked up. "So what's that stuff you printed?"

"My seventh grade essay," she said, laying it on the desk. "It's a bit amateur, but the facts are there. I can re-work it a little this weekend."

Andy nodded. "Sounds good. Hey, Roxy wanted to ask if you wanted to hang out with us after school? Ryo needs some stuff for a music video project…"

Bloom tried her best to contain a laugh, which ended up sounding like an odd snort. "Please tell me he's not doing Rebecca Black's Friday."

"Do not," Andy said, pointing his pen at her, "even mention that song. I am not afraid to hurt you with this thing."

"Don't worry," Bloom said with a small laugh, sitting down next to him. "I babysit for two seven year olds who live next door to me, and they won't stop singing that song. I won't mention it for the rest of the day."

"Thank you," Andy said, turning to look at the papers on his desk, seriously highlighting the information this time. From near him, he saw Ryo shoot him an odd look, and quietly pull out his cell phone. He typed something quickly, and put it back before Mr. Depauw could catch on. Andy grabbed his phone out of his backpack before it could vibrate and get his attention. He gripped it tightly as it vibrated, Ryo's text coming though. _Since whe buddy-buddy?_

Andy sighed a little. _? should I kno? At least she's tlking 2 me_

_Until she goes south again_

Andy turned and raised an eyebrow at his friend. _Wat does tat mean?_

Ryo wouldn't look at him, or type anything on his phone. Andy kept glaring at him until eventually, the cold feeling that came with his stare got the better of him. He quickly punched something into his phone before putting it back in his backpack, signaling it was the last text he was going to get. A second later, Andy's phone went off in his hand.

_Nthn man. Just saying, she might just want a grd, not a relationship_

Andy glared at him again, but this time, he wouldn't turn around. He eventually gave up, going back to working on the report. He wished Ryo would look at this just a little positively, but in the back of his head he wondered if he was secretly right.

"Getting anything?" Bloom asked, giving him a small smile.

He managed to flash a quick one back, even though he was pretty sure it was the fakest thing he'd ever shown. "Yeah. Should be done in no time."

* * *

"Hey Roxy," Ryo said with a grin, walking up behind his friend, "It's –"

"So help me, if you say Friday, I will throw you off the top floor of the mall," Roxy said in a pleasant voice, swirling her straw around in her mango smoothie as she, Ryo, Mark, Bloom, and Andy walked down the row of shops, looking for anything Ryo might need for his video. Roxy was enjoying having another girl in the group, and she'd be damned if she let Ryo's annoying sense of humor scare her off.

From next to her, Ryo frowned a little. "I was going to say it's Tuesday. What's wrong with that?"

Mark sighed and flicked his straw wrapper at him. "You are never going be allowed near the Internet ever again. _Comprendeme_?"

"She's had like a hundred million views," Bloom said absently, taking a sip of her strawberry smoothie. "And the girl has to be brave to take that criticism."

"We're way past criticism," Andy said, "Now it's more like cruel and unusual mocking and pain. She like twenty times worse than Ryo."

There was a round of laughs, all except Ryo who had a fake look of hurt on his face. "Oh come on, I'm not annoying."

"Really?" Mark questioned. "Because I've always though more along the lines of that annoying dog that follows you home and won't leave you alone."

Everyone laughed again, and Ryo stood up straight in an act of fake pride. "No way. If anything, I'm like Neville Longbottom: the Gryffindor who should be a Hufflepuff but turns out secretly badass in the last year."

Andy shook his head. "Aren't we hear to get crap for your project?"

"We are, but I felt like a smoothie, and the mall has the best."

Mark glared at him. "If this is for nothing, _you_ can pay for my gas. My parent's think I'm too irresponsible with the car."

"Just avoid any potato stands," Roxy grinned.

"Hey it was a one time offense, and I told the guy I was sorry."

"Psh, whatever," Andy said, taking a gulp of his soda. "So what do we feel like doing?"

"I for one, wanted to go and look at few stores," Roxy said, pointing towards Zumiez.

"Boring," Ryo half-sang, half-mocked.

"Well you don't have to come." She glanced over her shoulder. "Bloom?"

"I'm game."

"Oh, so it's ditch the guys time? Fine; I see how it is."

Bloom and Roxy grinned at Ryo. Bloom patted his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Just don't sing too loud, or people may throw things at you."

"Burn!" Mark said loudly. "Ginger's got game!"

"Always," Bloom said with a small smile as she and Roxy walked off.

* * *

"So Ryo," Andy said nonchalantly as the three boys continued to walk around. "Care to tell me about those texts?"

His friend stopped mid-smoothie slurp. "Aww I don't know man. I was just…thinking out loud."

"What happened?" Mark asked, glancing between the two of them.

"Ryo basically accused Bloom of being a Mitzi clone."

"Ah," Mark said, "and when Andy's desperately in love with her? Bad move…"

"It's not desperate." Andy retorted at the same time Ryo glared and said; "I was just saying!" Andy gave him a look, and Ryo continued; "Bloom seemed a little…less than grateful of your attitude towards this situation, right?"

He gave him a look. "…Yeah."

"So, who's to say that once this is over, she'll never speak another word to you?"

"What happened to being sarcastic?"

"I don't think Bloom's like that," Mark said absently, "maybe you're bad luck with girls is coming back to haunt you, man."

Ryo shrugged. "She's one of Mitzi's friends."

"_Was_," Andy corrected. "And besides, isn't that a little rood to assume thing about people? Do you even know her?"

"Do _you_?"

Andy didn't respond.

Mark glanced between them, feeling the tension in the air. "Okay, how about we drop this and head down to the music store? I need some new picks for Jasey."

"I do not understand why you bothered to name your guitar," Ryo said.

"Don't question it; tons of people name their guitars."

"Name one." Andy said with a smirk.

"Well there's…no. Or…no, not him…"

"Stalling," Andy said in a singsong voice.

"Shut up."

Ryo shrugged. "Let's just go before I think of one of my amazing jokes."

Andy rolled his eyes. "You use 'amazing' very loosely."

* * *

"So, do the guys ever mock you for shopping at Roxy?" Bloom questioned, looking through the racks of shirts and jackets.

Roxy smiled a little. "They told me last year they got me a monogrammed shirt for my birthday. Turns out it was just a shirt from here."

Bloom laughed a little. She hadn't known them that long, but it already seemed like something Ryo would do. "Did you give them hell for it?"

"Oh yeah, but eventually I just couldn't stop laughing."

"I guess I would too. But honestly," Bloom asked as Roxy looked though a rack, "where does Ryo get all this stuff? " Roxy didn't respond, just looked though the clothing intently, a look on her face. "Um…Roxy? Are you ok?"

"That depends. I'm pretty sure that's Mitzi over there, so…"

Bloom's eyes widened. "Crap."

She ducked down next to Roxy, peering though the jackets. Sure enough, Mitzi was over there, Elle, Brittany, and Audrey with them. They were laughing and giggling, a massive amount of shopping bags resting near them. "You really think she's going to still go for him?" Elle was asking, looking a pair of shorts that were no doubt way too cold for October.

"Unfortunately," Mitzi muttered, giving her a look that plainly said 'put the clothing down'. "Bloom is _incredibly_ stubborn."

From next to Roxy, the redhead huffed. "Isn't this a bit too junior high?"

"Tell me about it," Roxy mumbled.

"So what's your plan?" Audrey asked, looking through the sunglasses. "You're not going to vandalize her locker or something, right? We're high school kids."

"Please, I wouldn't be caught dead. So I'm doing the next best thing."

"Which is what?"

Mitzi looked pointedly at her clique. "What is the best way to get a boy to hang out with you?" When none of them responded, she gave a huff of annoyance. "You pretend to be into the same stuff they are."

"Which is what in this case?" Elle questioned, her eyes still on the shorts she'd been looking at.

Mitzi produced a flyer from her Gucci bag. "_Music_, of course."

Bloom peered through the racks, trying to get a better look at the piece of paper. There was writing scrawled all over it, but nothing stood out to her more than a few random letters. "What is that?" she whispered to Roxy.

"Heck if I know," she muttered as Mitzi set it down on a chair, gushing about some shirt she had seen. Elle, Brittany, and Audrey turned and followed like obedient puppies. Roxy glanced at Bloom, wondering if she was thinking what she was. From the look in her eyes and the small smirk on her face, it seemed like she was. "Do we dare?" Roxy asked, glancing at her.

The smirk widened. "We dare."

Roxy bit back a laugh and turned to watch the girls. When they were in the middle of gushing over another shirt, she reached out and snatched the paper Mitzi had.

The two rushed out of the store to find Andy and the others.

* * *

"You guys are never going to believe it!" Roxy called. She and Bloom rushed towards them through the racks of CD's at the back of the store, where the musical instruments were located. Andy was faintly amused – he couldn't tell why they were so excited. In Roxy's left had was a piece of slightly crumpled paper, writing scrawled on it.

"What's up?" he asked, looking at them suspiciously.

"Did you kill Rebecca Black?" Ryo asked, looking surprised.

"Will you shut up? That joke is getting old." Bloom grinned like an idiot as Roxy handed him the paper. "Take a look."

Suspiciously, Andy took the page and looked it over. It was an advertisement from Alternative Press, a big music magazine that usually set out on tour once a year. He could tell the section was the unsigned bands of the month, but it was blocked by a big square of text, 'Where's Your Band?' scrawled on it.

"'Coming soon,'" he read, slowly growing excited, "we're featuring sixteen unsigned bands we think you should hear. The top eight you select will become official AP&R bands with profiles in the following issues of AP!"

Mark, who'd been looking through guitar picks, dropped them to the ground and raced to Andy and loomed over his shoulder, reading the text. "'To be considered for AP&R, send your bio, a hi-res photo, and an MP3 of one song you think best represents your band to the e-mail below. Include contact name, address, and phone number.'" He stood up and gave Andy a miraculous look. "Dude."

"We can be famous!" Ryo cried, his quest to find the new Rise Against album forgotten.

"Yeah, but who knows how many people are partaking in this?"

"So?" Bloom cried, for once not looking out of place in the group. "You guys love music, more than anything. You have to try it."

"Ginger speaks the truth," Ryo said. "Come on Andy, we could so do this."

He glanced down at the page, flipping it over. On the back was an ad for unsigned bands to play at the Vans Warped Tour '11. "Hang on," he said, looking it over. "Can we sign up for both of these?"

Roxy looked at the page. "I don't see why not."

"How cool would it be to play the Warped Tour after we ink a record deal?"

"Doesn't that make us signed?" Mark asked.

"Who cares? They both can't pick us, so maybe we'll get one either way." Andy looked up at the four people surrounding him and grinned. "I bet we could use the recording studios down at Levy."

"They do owe the fire department a favor," Bloom grinned.

In a moment of pure reaction, he grabbed Bloom and spun her in the air, a grin on his face. "We're going to the top!"

"Amen!" Mark yelled like a priest from the movies, giving Roxy a hug. Ryo, being typical Ryo, latched onto the display of affection, squishing Roxy between them

"I know you can do it," Bloom insisted, laughing as Andy set her on the ground. "I totally believe in you."

She didn't know how, but she heard a loud 'humph' from behind her. Glancing in a mirror near the wall display of Gibson guitars, she saw Mitzi and her clique standing at the entrance of the store. Her arms were crossed, and she looked ready to fight Bloom to the death.

Bloom didn't know why, but something inside her went off. A cool smile crossed her face as she returned her gaze to Andy, who was looking at her with a look of amusement. "You okay?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm perfect," she said, her gaze flickering to the mirror to make sure Mitzi was still there. "In fact, I'll prove it."

Before he could ask, Bloom grabbed his collar and pulled his face to hers and pressed her lips against his. Andy had a moment of momentary shock, and then she felt his hand cup the side of her face. Placing his thumb on her chin, he carefully opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Bloom had a split second of hesitation before she went along with it. He tasted like raspberries and sweet, sweet, revenge.

Roxy, Mark, and Ryo watched the kiss with slack jaws. "Holy crap," Ryo muttered, looking impressed. "I wish a girl would do that to me." He paused, glancing to his right. "Hey Roxy…"

"One more word, and you're dead," she threatened.

"Right," he said quickly, leaning back. He gaze fell to Bloom and Andy. "Just wondering."

The two seemed oblivious to their friends standing nearby. Bloom had forgotten why she'd kissed him in the first place. All she knew was that there was a good feeling in her stomach, and until she ran out of air, she was _never_ letting go.

___Help me; I'm not well, I can't tell  
__If it's love or if I've lost mind  
__And oh, I know, this isn't a crime it's just my turn  
__It's just my turn to cross the line…_

* * *

**_So what do you think? How was the kiss, the eavesdropping, the Friday (side note, please don't kill me for that. My eight year old cousin wanted it in this chapter, and it just seemed so Ryo)? _****_On a side note, you can probably expect maybe five or six more chapters to this - yes, we are already halfway through our damn rough night! So sad. But I hope you all keep reading, because there is plenty more to come. And please leave any ideas you have in your review._**

**_Song: Love, Lust, or Losing It?_ by Farewell Fighter**


	7. You Make Me Feel

Sometimes internet media really annoyed Bloom. Though it'd only been two hours since she'd gotten home, Mitzi and her friends had blown up every social media site she'd known of (and a few she didn't) to talk about what a terrible double-crossing skank she was. "I'm dead."

"Don't talk like that," Anna insisted, hanging upside down off Bloom's bed. She was painting her nails neon orange. "You realize what you're doing, right?"

"Watching my already dwindling social life crumble to bits?"

"No. You, dear heart, are letting 'the man' control you."

Bloom sighed and shifted herself so she was hanging over her bed next to Anna. Her hair touched the floor, while her friend's continued to defy gravity. "'The man'? Have you been listening to your aunt again?"

"Which one? The lawyer or the one that never left Woodstock?"

"Who do you think?" Anna laughed a little, and Bloom moaned. "God, A, what have I done?"

"…Well dearie, I _think_ you kissed him."

"But _why_?"

"I'm gonna go with you like the taste of strawberries."

"Anna!"

"Well how should I know?" she questioned, "I'm not Doctor Phil, now am I?"

Bloom growled, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know. I just…I got tired of Mitzi and I wanted to just piss her off and once it happened I just couldn't stop. And geez Anna it felt so _good_._"_

"And you'll never tell him you liked it."

"Not if I want to live."

"See, there's your problem you're letting Mitzi control you. We need to take her power, and then we can all live happily."

"And how are we supposed to do this when I'm being made to look like Olive from Easy A?" Bloom questioned, sitting up in bed. All the blood rushing to her head was giving her a headache.

"Hey it was a great movie."

"That's not the point right now."

After a moment, Anna sat up, too, her face bright red. "All right fine. We should start looking at this rationally. So to start that…" she slowly reached over and closed Bloom's laptop screen. The redhead turned to glare at her, and Anna held up her hands. "Looking at all of those things won't help. We have to approach this logically."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

Anna smirked in response, and Bloom's eyebrows rose. "I hate that look, Anna."

"I know. That's why I love it."

* * *

"Ok, so if we add x on both sides of the equation and divide by two…"

"I have a question," Ryo said, not seeming to care he was interrupting Mark's tutoring lesson. It was only Ellis after all; he would more than likely be forgiven. "Who comes up with these unrealistic Algebra questions? What girl in her right mind would want a garden in the shape of an obtuse triangle, and why does she want to know the degree of the third side of this garden? As long as pretty things grow in it, who would give a crap?"

Ellis went from looking focused to confused. "Wasn't it an isosceles triangle?"

Mark glared at Ryo before turning back to his friend. "Ignore him, it was. So, you take the degrees of the first two triangles…"

Ryo shrugged. "It was a perfectly polite, question, right Andy?" When there was no response, he sat up from his position on The Ellis's old leather couch. "Andy?" he asked, looking over at his friend. His eyes were glued to the screen, his glasses reflecting some website he couldn't make out. Ellis's dog Charlie was curled up next to him, looking rather bored. "Yo Andy, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," he called back absently, his fingers not leaving the keyboard.

He would've questioned him more, but at that moment his phone went off, not startling anyone but Charlie. The German Shepard-Collie mix shot up, going over and circling the couch like a guard dog. "He hates ringtones." Ellis said absently, still focused on his homework."

"Right, because that's a perfectly natural thing for a dog to be afraid of in stead of a mailman or a vacuum…hello?"

"Ryo? Hey it's Anna."

"Ah, my shorthaired, orange finger-nailed friend," he said, falling back onto the couch. "What's cracking? Ellis told me you were over with Bloom."

"I am. But I was calling because I had a question for you."

"…Ok."

"Now, bear with me…is Andy sitting around staring at the computer like a little lost puppy?"

Ryo raised his eyebrow. "Bloom too?"

"Bloom too."

He sighed. "Well great. Should I even ask why, considering we all know the answer is tall, black-haired, and sounds like a chipmunk on acid?"

Anna snorted back a laugh. "Yes," she finally managed to say. "It's Mitzi. Bloom's looking a little pale, so I thought checking up on Andy would be a good idea."

"He's the same. Maybe we should make them matching T-shirts."

"Tempting idea, but…I have a better one."

"Ooh, is that your 'terribly good idea' voice?"

"Who're you talking to, my sister?" Ellis questioned sarcastically.

Ryo glared at him. "As a matter of fact, I am. Now shush."

Mark looked up too. "Isn't she just next door? What does she want?"

"I could find out if you'd shut up."

"…Seems to be enjoying making our lives miserable at every turn," Anna was saying. "So I thought it best to give her a taste of her own medicine."

"Ah, blackmail!" He paused for a moment. "How?"

"A secret blackmailer. Bloom has some old photos of birthday parties that I'm sure have been circulated through half the parents at the old elementary school, plus some middle school shots…and you know me; I'm brilliant at Photoshop."

"Along with half the school. And she's pissed enough people off that she won't know who did it. And she won't dare mock a single person for fear they're the one's blackmailing her."

Mark was nodding; he'd overheard enough of the phone conversation to know what was going on. "Sensible idea."

"Agreed." Ellis added.

"What are you guys talking about?" Andy questioned, breaking his trance and looking up at them. The boys chuckled.

"Since Captain Clueless just snapped back to reality, how about we drag him over to Bloom's place so he can't keep staring at his social reputation. Plus we can start looking through songs to send in for the Alternative Press competition."

"Sounds like a plan. What about Roxy?

"She's helping Klaus with some paperwork for that bar he wants to open up. Apparently they found a good venue on the north shore near the boat docks, and he's almost ready to give a down payment on it."

"Fair enough. We'll give her the run down tomorrow morning before school."

"Sounds like a plan. See you in a few."

* * *

"_As the days pass by, you're further away; just a low-base beat in the heat of the day. And as you keep it up I feel, that it won't be the same… So it's true what, they say, you can't be, that great…_"

Andy half-heartedly sang the lyrics he'd scrawled down in his journal. They'd come to him after watching a couple break up at a music concert over the summer. On the opposite side of the bed, Bloom sat Indian style, creating a beat for Andy by tapping a pencil against the wall behind her. Anna, Ellis, and Mark sat around the computer, lost is discussing whatever computer talk they were using. Ryo was asleep on the run, Bloom's bunny Kiko resting peacefully on his stomach. Considering the kiss they'd shared less than four hours ago, it was a surprisingly comfortable setting.

He sighed and began leafing through the journal again. "That was bad; I have a better pre-chorus in here somewhere."

Slowly, Bloom shook her head. "No – I liked it. The 'low-base beat' thing is kind of catchy, even though I don't really know what it means."

"I'm not sure _I_ know what it means," he replied, a small smile on his face. "I chose it for the beat it created. I'm not even sure it exists."

Bloom laughed a little. "You should keep it. But add more before the line 'it's true what they say'. What kind of music are you going for?"

"Honestly? I was envisioning a mix of The Summer Set and Panic At The Disco's second album. A west coast indie, if you will."

"Hmm, both are good bands, though the idea of the merge of the music sounds weird and cool at the same time."

"So I was told." He grinned before looking around the room. It was covered in sketches and posters of mainstream bands. The drawings interested him the most though. They depicted settings from Gardenia to a large, intricately built castle; people dressed in street clothes to a sketch of a man with long hair, the only color on the page coming from his gold eyes. "Did you draw these?"

Bloom looked up, surprised. "Yeah. I did."

"They look awesome."

"That's Bloom," Anna spoke up absently. "A pint-sized Picasso."

The redhead chuckled, obviously a little embarrassed. "They're nothing."

"Well I like them," Andy said. "You'll have to design the cover of our album."

Bloom smiled softly. "Maybe I will."

It took a moment for the two to register the flirts. When they did, Andy cleared his throat a little loudly and Bloom gulped, leaning back against her headboard. Andy watched with mild curiosity as she tried to call Kiko over to without making any noise. He watched the bunny open one eye lazily, only to let it droop closed again. Slowly, Andy flipped through his journal until he came to a page that was – besides a few absent doodles of palm trees, relatively blank. He started writing, and when he was done, passed it over to Bloom. With a curious look, she took the object from his hand and read over what he'd written.

_You okay? You've been quiet this whole time._

She smiled faintly, and, deciding to play along, started writing on the next line. After a minute, she handed it back.

_Fine. It's been a long day. School this morning seems like it happened in another century._

Andy nodded as he wrote. _Understandable. Mitzi has us dancing like marionettes. But…that's it?_

_What else is there?_

He debated of writing his next thought. _That kiss._

When Bloom got the notebook, her cheeks turned the same color as her hair. _I was sick of Mitzi controlling me, like you said. I wanted to giver her a little taste of venerability. You were the best thing I could think of at the time. I'm sorry._

_I never asked you to apologize._ He held it out for Bloom to see, but didn't give the book to her. Upon looking over the words, she grabbed a pillow from behind her and wacked him with it. He laughed a little a kept writing;

_But if you really are 'sorry', you can make it up to me._

Andy handed the book to her this time. Bloom shook her head, a small smile on her face. _And how am I going to do that?_

_Let me take you out for dinner Friday night._

"My cousin works at this really nice restaurant down on the wharf," Andy spoke aloud now as Bloom read what he'd written. "Nothing overly fancy, just a piece of fish a maybe some ski ball at the arcade across the street."

Bloom bit her lip, though Andy could tell in her eyes she liked the idea. "I don't know…"

"Hey, we deserve a break after everything we've been through this last week."

"Maybe, but…Andy I don't know. There's a lot of stuff to do, and I'm helping Anna and the committee plan the Halloween dance…"

"One night. Just humor me into seeing if the idea of 'us' works. If not, you're home free and I never mention it again."

It was quiet for a while, the only noise coming from Anna clacking away at the keyboard and Ryo snoring. Feeling like he'd gone too far and not having the heart to look at her, Andy started doodling on the journal that lie between them on the bed (though he was really just entertaining himself by trying to copy Bloom's handwriting).

"Ok."

He looked up at Bloom. "Huh?"

"I said ok. Friday sounds nice." She smiled a little. "I'll ask my Mom if I can go. Though if I wake up half naked in a bad with you again, I will be seriously ticked off."

Andy's jaw dropped. He'd honestly thought she was going to stick with her 'no' answer. "Seriously? You'll ask?"

"Yeah, seriously. Unless _you're_ having second thoughts?" She smirked.

The comment seemed to snap him out of his funk a little. "You wish. Well…alright then. I'll call Oliver and see what he can do."

Bloom giggled a little. "Your cousin's name's Oliver? Does he have a friend named Dodger too?"

Andy chuckled. "Don't mock my family."

"Though, as long as he doesn't spike my drink…"

"Not my doing!"

"Hey guys," Mark called from by the computer. "Come look at these. I think we've struck gold."

Andy slowly nodded, getting up off the bed and stretching his legs. "Coming."

As he passed Bloom on the way to the computer, he quickly bent down and kissed the top of Bloom's head. "Thanks." He whispered.

"Mmm. Don't thank me for something I haven't done yet."

"I won't. But for now at least you've shut me up."

…_Everything you know I'm flipping upside down,  
__Take you 'round the world,  
__You know I like it loud.  
__Tell me what you want 'cause we can do just  
__What you like…  
__You make me feel that la la la la la…_

* * *

**After who knows how many months on hiatus, I have returned! I am so so so so (500 'sorry's later) so sorry this took so long. I've got no excuse, really. I want everyone to know I have no thoughts of giving this story up, so never fear. So, the original song idea for this chapter was 'Ain't So High' by Metro Station (ok, now that Trace left it's more like Musso Station, but you get it), but I might end up posting a playlist of all these songs at the end, and it's not on iTunes or Amazon. So, you get Cobra instead! Yay!**

**Reviews (though I don't deserve them) are much appreciated so I know that I still have, you know, _readers_ out there. Virtual hugs will be rewarded to those who do :-D**

**P.S. - Since my last update, Nick has officially started airing Winx Club! What's your opinion of the new version? Are you happy as a clam or ready to go beg 4Kids to take it back? Let me know (I personally want the second one, but I _am_ just glad to have it back)!**


	8. Let's Kill Tonight

**All right! Chapter...what chapter is this again? Ah well, who cares**

**First off all, a HUGE thanks goes out to the pepople who reviewed the last chapter after my horrible hiatus. So shout-outs to Kyree Winx, ElementalFantasyFairy, moni-neechan, Authoress-In-Training, winxfan 16, TheOneAndOnlyBellaRiddle, mickey21a, anonymous, and MaKy-Uchiha! You guys rule! And I know there's some questions regarding anonymous reviewing, and I'll talk about that later. Bur for now, let's start this party!**

* * *

"All right, what exactly counts as appropriate attire for a date down at the wharf?"

Anna looked up from shifting through her friend's closet, and Roxy glanced up from her English homework (apparently Mr. Depauw didn't care that he'd assigned a weekend essay every week since school started, the honors class would have one every weekend). Bloom was straddling her desk chair, twisting an old silver ring around her thumb. Her hair hung in wet limbs around her face, waiting to be done up.

"Something simple," Anna insisted. "I've been to the restaurant before. It's pretty relaxed."

"Plus Andy had track practice after school, and usually he's too tired to be fancy." Roxy added.

Bloom smiled lightly. She'd seen the track and field practice when she walked past the field earlier that day. "So…jeans and a t-shirt? Or something fancier?"

Anna moved some hangers aside. "Um, I'd say a little fancier. Ooh," she pulled out a black leather jacket. "This is nice. Why have I not seen it?"

"Aunt Caroline gave it to me for helping with her art gallery over the summer. Plus she'll be in Colorado for Christmas this year, so it was like two presents rolled into one."

"It's genuine."

"Yeah."

"It's perfect."

Bloom shot up. "No way! What if something happens to it?"

"Well what else can it do? Sit in your closet for the next three years?"

She rolled her eyes and started to say something else, but Anna threw the jacket at her. "It's perfect," she said again. "Now where's that grey shirt with the British flag on it?"

"Second drawer in my dresser." Before Bloom even finished Anna was racing off to get it.

Roxy chuckled. "Do you get the feeling she's taking this too seriously?"

Bloom shrugged, grabbing a hairbrush and starting to work it through her tangled bangs. "I'd probably be freaking out without her. I've never had a serious date before."

"Robbie Quailey!" a slightly muffled voice yelled from the closet. Bloom grabbed a pencil from her desk and threw it at Anna. The black haired girl started laughing hysterically, and Bloom's cheeks turned the same color as her hair. Roxy glanced between them, looking genuinely curious. "Has this whole 'blind date after a drunk night' thing happened before?"

"No." Bloom said quickly, glaring at Anna. "It shouldn't even count as a relationship."

"Aww, but he was cute. Like a little lost puppy. Plus that was the year we met; my dad just transferred jobs again. You were the first friend I made."

Bloom rolled her eyes, but looked a little happy recalling the memory none the less. "Well a dog sounds a lot cuter than that guy was."

"And we all know dogs are your favorite animal."

From his cage, Roxy swore she saw Kiko glare at Anna. She chuckled, reaching down and scratching behind his ear. "Don't worry Kiko, she still loves you best."

"You spoiled little fluff-ball," Bloom grinned.

"Found it!" Anna cried triumphantly, pulled the shirt she was looking for out of the closet. She tossed it to Bloom, who caught it with a slight eye roll. "Now put that on; and I think we should straighten your hair. It would look _super_hot."

"What happened to this being an informal date?" the redhead asked.

Anna grinned. "Do you want me to drive you to the bay or not?"

* * *

"Remind me again why you're calling," Andy said, shifting his phone from one ear to the other. He was leaning against the wall near the entrance to the restaurant (ironically called the Blue Water Grill, with a big blue swordfish mascot).

"Because," Ryo replied, his voice slightly crackled from the bad connection, "I figured you'd need a guy to guy pep talk."

"...You've never had a date in your life. Shouldn't Mark be the one talking to me? Or Ellis?"

"You mock me."

"Yes, yes I do." Andy rolled his eyes. "Look, I appreciate this man, but why don't you go back to trolling on a forum or attempting the chemistry homework."

"But I -"

"Goodbye Ryo." Andy shut off the phone before he could say more. With a sigh, he leaned back against the wall again.

And he heard a soft giggle from his left.

He swiveled his head and nearly jumped when he saw Bloom there, a small smile on her face. "Issues with Mr. Sarcasm?"

"Something like that."

Her smile widened. "Did I scare you?"

"No! ...No. You didn't," he insisted when she started laughing. "You're such a jerk sometimes."

"Hey, I can leave, thank you."

It was Andy's turn to grin. "Untrue. Anna drove you. When can you get your license?"

"December. When did you get yours?"

"July," he replied, holding the door open. "Shall we?" he asked, holding his hand out.

Bloom took it. "We shall."

* * *

"Artu! Get away from there!" Roxy called, tugging on her dog's leash as he sniffed a palm tree in someone's yard. She loved the nightly walks she took him on (plus it was a great break from the bloody paper), but sometimes she wished he'd pick up the pace.

Almost like he'd read her thoughts, Artu suddenly lost interest in the tree and went back to walking at a slightly fast pace. Roxy smiled and went along with him again. When they got to the usual corner, he veered right instead of left, which was the route back home. Roxy thought about tugging him in the other direction, but decided it would be good to try a new direction.

They went on for a few blocks, and eventually worked their way towards the pier, which was crowded with people for a Friday night. Artu (who'd pretty much taken over as the handler for the walk) led them around another corner, and Roxy was surprised to find - sitting on it's own personal pier - the Blue Water Grill.

Roxy looked down at her dog in mild shock, who had a smile on his face. "You...how did..."

Artu barked happily and sat down, his tail wagging.

After a moment, the pink-haired girl bent down and scratched him behind his ears; his favorite spot. "You crazy little mutt. What'd you bring me down here for?"

It was again like he'd understood her. Before she could blink, Artu shot up and raced down the boardwalk toward the restaurant. Roxy was practically dragged along with him. After a few yards, he turned sharply, heading down towards the boat docks. Once they were down there, he finally came to a stop, his focused on a life raft leaning against a beam.

"Wait," Roxy said slowly, peering at it more closely. That raft was _moving_.

"Ryo!"

The boy jumped about a mile in the air. Once he caught sight of Roxy, he started rubbing his hands together, the usual nervous habit he did when he got caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. "Oh. Hehe...what's up Rox?"

"Taking Artu for a walk. What the hell are you doing on the marina now? Shouldn't you be trying to pick up girls on Chat Roulette?"

"Ok, Charlotte was very nice."

"Charlotte was forty. What are you looking at?' she asked, noting a good sized gap in the wood board that probably had a view of the restaurant. When he started doing his hand thing again, she sighed and shoved him away so she could look through.

When her eyes adjusted, she saw she was staring at the deck of the restaurant. Apparently the heaters weren't working, because some people were wrapped up in blankets. Roxy looked around a little, and after a moment her eyes fell on a familiar girl with a mess of red hair.

"Now Roxy I can explain..."

"Are you _spying_?" she asked, turning back to face him. Artu was sitting quietly, glancing between the two with a mild curiosity.

"I'm not spying," Ryo said after a moment. "I'm just..." after a moment, he shrugged. "Ok fine."

"Ryo, you are so impossible, you know that!"

"...So does that mean you're not interested in what I've seen?"

Roxy opened her mouth, then closed it. "You're impossible." she repeated.

"I know," he replied, turning back to the gap. "But the question is, are you impossible too?"

She looked down at Artu, who seemed perfectly content lying down on the dock. She looked between the dog and Ryo, and finally sighed. "Move over," she said is a hushed whisper, going over to look through the gap with him.

"Knew it."

"Shut up. I'm only going to be here for a minute."

"But that's still a minute you're doing it."

"Why are we even doing it? It's not like they're incapable of having a nice time on their own."

Ryo chuckled. "Because we, my friend, are nosy."

Roxy nodded thoughtfully. "We should see a therapist for that."

"That's bull."

"What are you guys doing?"

Ryo and Roxy jumped and spun around. Standing a few feet from them, a curious look on her face, was Miranda. She had been one of Mitzi's flunkies, but Roxy hadn't seen her since the party last week. She had her hair up in a sloppy ponytail, and was dressed in sweats.

"Uh...hey, Miranda. What're you doing here?"

She jerked her thumb back at a decent sized boat tied to the dock. "Our house is getting some remodelling done on the east wing, so we're staying on the boat for a week. Plus I had the flu." She paused, her eyes falling on the gap in the wood. "What's up there?"

"Nothing!" Roxy and Ryo replied together.

"I'm, uh...glad you're feeling better, Miranda," Ryo said after a moment.

"Yeah," Roxy added, grabbing Ryo's arm as they started to move toward the entrance to the dock. "Well, it was nice seeing you, but Ryo and I have to get going. He promised to get me an ice cream down on the boardwalk."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Wait...are you two like an item now?"

Ryo's jaw dropped. "We are not -"

"Talking about it! Mum's the word! Bye Miranda!" With that, Roxy dragged him up the dock, Artu following.

"That was too close," Ryo said once they were back on the sidewalk, practically running as far away as possible.

"You think she'll tell Mitzi?"

"I don't know. She has so few brain cells, I doubt she remembers her address half the time." He glanced back down the street. "Bloom and Andy will be fine."

"I didn't ask about Bloom and Andy. And of course they'll be fine. Bloom could take her with her pinky finger. And if any good came out of that, it's that those two can finally have a peaceful night without you being a snoop."

He shrugged. "Well that, and I apparently have a girlfriend. Too sexy for you, huh?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Roxy groaned and dragged him around a corner. "Shut _up_, Ryo."

* * *

"And then, no joke, he literally dumps the flower pot and all of its contents onto our Biology teacher."

Bloom laughed. "No way! Well, I guess since we're talking about Ryo here..."

Andy chuckled. "Exactly. He ended up with detention for a week."

The redhead shook her head. "Oh Ryo..."

The two faded into a comfortable silence. The bill had been paid, Bloom met Andy's cousin Oliver (who was actually really sweet), and the restaurant was slowly starting to clear out.

"When does this place close?" Bloom asked absently, looking out to the water.

"Maybe a half hour. But the bar's open later."

"Hmm...I think I'm going to avoid the alcohol for a little bit. As fun as our last fiasco was..."

Andy smiled, "Indeed."

Bloom's eyes fell to him, and she smiled when she saw the look on his face. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing at all."

"You liar, what're you thinking about?"

He smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

She propped her elbows up on the table and leaned a little closer to him. "Kind of."

Andy smirked. "Well it might take a little convincing."

"Well...maybe I could think of something," she said slowly. They were both getting closer to each other, and Bloom's lips were just a few inches away from Andy's.

From the table, Bloom's phone buzzed, startling them both.

Andy looked down at the cell phone, wanting to throw it into the ocean. "It's Anna." he said dully.

Bloom's cheeks were as red as her hear. "Yeah." After a moment, she picked up the phone and flipped it open. She quickly read the message over. "Anna's outside."

"'Course she is," he muttered before standing. "I'll walk you out."

She nodded. "So...what're your plans this weekend?"

"There's a track meet tomorrow at the school, and Sunday I'm helping out at the Greek Food Festival at the church for community service."

"Busy."

Andy nodded. "You know," he said slowly, "I could use some support at the track meet tomorrow. Ellis and Anna are going to be there..."

"And I need community service, too, don't I?" Bloom asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well no...I mean...well I..."

Bloom laughed. "Tell you what; I'll go tomorrow, bring my homework, and if I get done I'll help you tomorrow."

Andy stared at her for a moment. "Really?"

"Yeah really." she said as they walked out the door. "Call me tomorrow morning and tell me when the meet starts. I'm usually up by eight, ok?"

"Um...yeah. So wait," he said as Bloom starting walking off. She turned back to look at him. "Does this mean I get a second date?"

Bloom smiled. "Well you're my boyfriend, so I'd hope I get another date." His jaw dropped, and she winked at him. "Goodnight Andy." With that, she turned and ran towards Anna's car, idling near the curb.

Andy watched her go, a small smile on his face. "Well all right. Score one for me."

_May your feet serve you well  
__And the rest be sent to Hell.  
__Where they always have belonged;  
__Cold hearts grew colder songs  
____They will play us out  
____With a song of pure romance,  
____So stomp your feet and clap your hands..._

* * *

**All right (I say 'all right' a lot, don't I?)! Now, just a friendly little heads up; there are only three chapters left before the end of our lovely damn rough night! Someone asked me about a possible sequel, and as of right now I don't think that's gonna happen. I appreciate that everyone likes the story so much they _want_ a sequel, but I'm fresh out of ideas on plots. There could be a one-shot in this universe sometime in the future, but I can't make any promises.**

**Also, for anyone who was skimming through the story's review page, there was talk of me blocking anonymous reviews. First of all, it kind of surprised me because I was talking to a friend of mine about it, and then literally two days later I get a review about it (That's So Raven, anyone? ;-) ). But, just to reassure everyone, I'm not blocking anonymous reviews. In all honesty, I don't have a reason to yet, and as long as it stays that way they'll be open.**

**Speaking of reviews...I'd love some! Button's down there; you know what to do!**

**Song: _Let's Kill Tonight_ by Panic! At the Disco**


	9. Rumor Mill

**Hello all! Happy October! Halloween's just around the corner, and my goal is to have the final chapter of DRN up on Halloween (because let's face it - having one of my favorite holiday's on a Monday is depressing enough). Two more chapters in a month? You know I can handle it!**

* * *

Bloom ended up spending most of her weekend with Andy. The track meet was a lot of fun (victory went to Gardenia High in the 40 meter dash, thanks to him), and when Bloom and Andy were messing around on the track afterwards, Coach Roman stopped to question Bloom as to why she wasn't on the team. Apparently she was pretty fast, so she promised she'd go out for it next year. And on Sunday (partially because she _did_ need community service hours if she wants in the NHS), she and Andy worked the dessert table at the Greek food festival - along with Mark, who had signed up for hours himself. Despite a bitchy lady who wouldn't take any crumbled cookies (_they were all at least a _little _crumbly,_ Bloom thought to herself, _it's Greek pastries. Just suck it up._), she ended up having a lot of fun, and got a lot of bonding time with her new boyfriend (plus her dad didn't freak out when she told him she _had_ a boyfriend. Score one!).

In a very odd way, a sense of normalcy fell over the group. Since Anna's incriminating pictures, Mitzi was out of a hobby, which was bad for her but good for the school. People were a little less nervous when she passed by them, and any guy she'd ever liked wasn't as reluctant to be handholding with his new girlfriend in the hallways - Andy and Bloom included. Weeknights were divided between after school activities and study groups at people's houses (Monday night was Bloom's house, Tuesday's was Ryo's, and so on), while weekends were packed with bowling and movie nights, and the impromptu trip to Magic Mountain (Ryo did _not_ like roller coasters, it was discovered). Every other Thursday had officially been deemed 'Sushi Night', and the seven friends would try out different sushi places all over town, though Sushi Fever, along with Kimi's bubbly persona, remained their favorite. Everyone's parents seemed happy with the situation, and since one way or another all the parents knew each other, late-night study sessions or eating at the restaurant Anna and Ellis' dad owned wasn't a problem.

After a weekend session at Levy's Studio, Andy, Mark, and Ryo sent their single in to AP, settling on a song they'd written just before the start of school called 'High Resolution'. Mark got his mother (who was good friends with the high school's principal, Esther Drummend) to pull a few strings so that Bloom could take new pictures of the band in the empty school hallways at night. With Roxy's help, the shots turned out amazing, and as they sent their e-mail in on the Monday before the big English projects were due (Bloom and Andy pulled of an A-, while Mark and Ellis got a solid A), Andy couldn't help but feel this was his lucky year.

* * *

"Alright people, we need a strategy plan."

"Strategy plan for what, General Sarcastic?" Roxy grinned as they headed down the hallway to the lockers.

"This weekend, duh!" Ryo replied, his old Converse squeaking on the newly waxed floor.

"What's so important?" Bloom asked, her head on Andy's shoulder and his arm around her. The position looked a bit difficult to be walking in, but it seemed the two had it down flat.

"Halloween, duh!"

"Your favorite holiday," Andy remarked dryly. "Where you can use your crappy banter, terrible ability to scare people, and corny jokes, but wear a mask and not get haggled as much."

"Hey, can it pretty boy. Just because some of us know how to have _fun_ on that holiday."

"So what's the suggestion?" Roxy asked. "And please don't say trick-or-treating."

"I'm thinking scary movie marathon. And maybe, depending on who's house we're at, we could get some costumes, scare some kids."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Didn't we just go over your scaring ability?"

"And what about karma?" Roxy said. "Remember that one viral video of the guy jumping out of the trashcan to scare the guy, and the other one punched him in the face and knocked him out?"

"Please; they'll be a bunch of eight-year-olds. When they throw a decent punch, then I'll be impressed."

Everyone laughed as they turned into the freshman hallway.

And stopped when they say the scene in front of them.

Fake cobwebs were hanging from the ceiling, along with orange and black streamers. Pumpkins were on top of lockers, there was a fog machine going that made the floor invisible, and someone was blasting mood music from a CD player. On everyone's locker was a black and sparkly orange piece of paper.

Bloom slowly lifted her head from Andy's shoulder. "What the heck is going on here?"

"My thoughts exactly," Andy replied. He glanced over and Roxy and Ryo, but they seemed equally confused. "Were any of the other halls like this?"

"Not that I noticed. I had a Spanish Honor Society meeting this morning in the junior hallway, and it looked as plain as ever."

"Miss Drummend's going to flip."

"We're going to have to spend lunch cleaning all this up, and I have Geometry homework to finish."

"...We have a Spanish Honor Society?"

"Ryo!"

"Valid question! No touchy!"

Andy rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's find the others."

As they reached their locker, Bloom caught sight of Anna, Ellis, and Ryo near their lockers. Her friend had put a blue stripe in her hair for Halloween and was wearing black and white striped tights under dress (it _was_ her favorite holiday), and Mark's black shirt had a pumpkin on it. Bloom flagged them down. "What's all this?"

"Here when I got here." Mark said. His parents worked across town, and he was usually one of the first kids on campus. He said he spent the free time doing his homework. "Must have happened last night."

"Drummend know?"

Anna shrugged. "Maybe. She hasn't been down here, and there are bound to be complaints."

Ryo reached over to his locker and peeled back the piece of paper attached to it. "What are all these?"

"Invitations."

"This is all for a party?"

"What it looks like. The entire freshman class got invited."

"Who the hell would go all out like this?" Roxy asked. When everyone turned to stare at her, she sighed and blew a piece of hair out of her face. "Right. Why did I even bother to ask?"

"Mitzi."

"But why?" Ryo wined, slumping against the locker. "She's been quiet and I've barely seen her for the last two months. I've never been more in love with her!"

Roxy rolled her eyes. "She may not be mocking us, but she's still one of the most popular girls in the school. I suppose it's natural for her to want to remind people of that."

Andy grabbed his own invitation from his locker. Each one was slightly different, with pumpkin stickers or devil horns on them. He saw three lip prints on his made with a pink gloss. He rolled his eyes and held it up for everyone else to see. "I don't like it."

Andy saw his girlfriend's eyes narrow. "She's up to something," she agreed.

"Down girl," Mark said, slightly joking and slightly serious. "We don't need another freak show."

Bloom's glare shifted to him, though it was slightly less angry. "I have a slight electrical imbalance. It happens to people all the time."

"Dude, you hold my cell phone for more than five minutes and it shuts off. If that's a _slight_ imbalance, what's a large imbalance? Can you shut off cell phone towers?"

"Ryo," Andy said warningly. "Chill out."

He grinned and threw an arm around Bloom. "She knows I'm kidding. Right, B?"

Bloom laughed and shrugged him off. "Yeah, yeah, just watch your back when I end up with amazing super powers, because I'll remember times like these."

Roxy waved her invite back and forth in the air, bits of loose glitter falling to the floor. "Should we go?"

Ellis raised an eyebrow. "You're not serious, right? That's like...going into the creepy white van because the guy says there's candy in it. Or going to the creepy haunted house on a full moon."

"I don't usually miss Halloween parties," Anna chimed in, "but my lovely twin is right. I say we bail."

Before anyone else could respond, the five-minute bell for class rang. People started moving through the halls before they became completely cramped. "We'll talk more at lunch," Andy said loudly enough for everyone to hear. They nodded, and everyone started heading in their own directions.

Bloom lingered near him, even though her class was halfway across campus. "You ok?" she asked, noticing his scrunched eyebrows; a usual sign that he was deep in thought.

He pulled her close and gave her hug. "Thinking is all."

She squeezed him back. "Don't let Mitzi get to you. As long as Roxy keeps those pictures safe, we've got no worries."

"Why doesn't Anna have them?"

"Her mom likes to snoop in her room from time to time. And since Klaus is usually pretty good about giving Roxy her own space..."

"Right," Andy pulled back, giving Bloom a quick kiss on the lips. "See you in English later?"

Bloom nodded. She'd come to love Andy's kiss, and the way it tasted like coffee and mint in the morning. "Yep. And gym. Prepare to have your butt whipped on the mile today."

"Bring it on baby," he yelled down the hallway as the two went their separate ways.

* * *

Roxy had been extremely lucky to get into the Photography class at school. They usually didn't take any freshman, but since Roxy's old teacher had written the school with nothing but praise, she was one of the three freshman in the class of eighteen. The room was brick, and one wall was covered with pictures, which the teacher Eric (yes, he was cool enough to let his students call him by his first name) called the 'Pupil Wall of Fame', dating back six years.

The pink-haired girl sat at one of the large wood tables, which she share with two sophomores who were pretty nice to her. The two girls were currently out getting shots of the school for the yearbook, since they'd finished their work for their day. Roxy was taking advantage of it, and had most of the area around her covered in pictures. She was looking for just the right one for her 'Most Important Things In Your Life' project. She knew there was a good one of her, Ryo, Mark, and Andy from their recent trip to Six Flags, but she just couldn't find it...

Suddenly, the light above her darkened. Roxy glance up to find Elle standing near her, a camera in hand. She smiled at her, though Roxy didn't trust it. "Don't mind me," she insisted, "I just wanted a shot. You looked really cool shifting through all those. Is that ok?"

Roxy examined her with a critical eyebrow. "...You should move to the left then, so your shadow doesn't effect the light."

Elle nodded, following her instructions. "Thanks. Now just keep doing what you were doing."

Slowly, Roxy put her head back down and reached out to keep going through the photos. She waited until she heard the _click_ of the camera, then brought her head up to look at Elle, who was looking at the camera screen. Elle's gaze lifted back to her, and she smiled again. "Thanks Roxy."

"Yeah...no problem..."

"You alone today?" she asked, looking around the table as though she'd never done it before. "Where are Caitlyn and Alice?"

"On assignment for school landscapes. And don't take this the wrong way, but why do you care?"

She shrugged. "Just curious. So hey," she continued, taking a seat across for her, oblivious to Roxy's discomfort, "Did you see the hall this morning?"

"Yeah. Mitzi sure went all out this time."

"Totally. You going to the party?"

"Nope."

Elle looked up at her, surprised. "Really? Why?"

Roxy chuckled a little. "Um, how about you guys hate us? Or the last time I went to one of her parties I was the laughing stalk of the school for the entire month of September?"

"We're not inviting the guys who spiked the keg; they were from the other school," Elle insisted (Roxy noticed she didn't try to defend the idea she hated her). "I guess I just thought you'd want to go since...well you know."

Roxy's hands slowed a little as they looked through the frames. She didn't want to be curious, she really didn't, but she was a nosy person. Roxy looked up at Elle. "...Since what?" she asked, regretting how curious she sounded.

She also regretted it when she saw the smug look flash across Elle's face, though it was replaced a moment later with what looked like surprise. "Didn't you hear? About Ryo?"

And there went any hope of pretending not to be curious. "What? He's not going to try and scare everyone by leaping out of the pool, is he?"

"No silly, he's going to finally admit that he likes you. I heard he's going to get a bunch of roses and paint them so they're orange and black and pink and give them to you."

Roxy felt her cheeks redden. "Ryo? Don't be ridiculous. When has he ever been that nice?"

But even as she said that sentence, a little voice in the back of her head told her it might very well be true. Elle was usually hooked into school gossip, and the idea that Ryo might finally say that he liked her made her heart flutter.

"Oh come on. You know he's been crushing on you for a while. It's sweet that he's making a move."

"Yeah well," she trailed off, not sure what to say. "Thanks for the head's up."

"Anytime," she insisted, standing up. "Hey, can I see some of you're stills from the landscape project? Miranda needs them."

Blindly, Roxy reached into her backpack and pulled out the folder where she kept her pictures. "I need it back by fourth period."

"No problem." Elle said, taking the pink polka-dotted folder. "See you Saturday."

"Yeah, maybe."

* * *

"Ok, if I say '_Me gusta bailar con mis amigos_', I said..."

Ryo tapped his pencil against the desk. "I...like to run with my friends."

Bloom shook her head. "I like to _dance_."

"My favorite Hot Chelle Rae song!"

Bloom laughed. "Ryo come on; study hall's over in twenty minutes, and if you don't get this you'll fail the test."

He rolled his eyes, but stil straightened up in his chair. "Ok, ok. Hit me again."

"..._Nosotros descansamos muchos los fines de semanas._"

"...We sleep a lot on the weekends?"

"Bingo!"

"Hey guys," a voice said from behind the two. "What's the Spanish homework?"

Bloom and Ryo exchanged a glance, then turned around in their chairs. Standing there was none other than Mitzi, wearing ripped jeans and a green blouse. Miranda and some other girl (Audrey? Bloom could never keep straight who was who) were near her, hands on their hips.

"Page 29, exercise 4 and 6," Ryo said slowly.

From behind her, Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Why so shaky? Are you lying?"

"Not at all. Besides; what would I gain?"

"Some more of your sick humor." Mitzi smirked.

Bloom rolled her eyes. "Not to sound rude, but what do you want?"

"I need a head count for tomorrow's party."

"Skip these heads," Ryo said, giving her a critical eye. "We don't need a repeat incident of the last party."

"I'm sure Bloom wouldn't mind a repeat." the other blonde said with a smirk.

Bloom felt her cheeks redden. "We've already got plans, thanks."

"Hey don't worry. If you're scared to come, it's no big deal."

"Please; what would I be scared of?"

"Maybe how all Andy needs to dump you flat is a short skirt and a lot of glitter."

Bloom stood up quickly, and Ryo grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaping at the girl. "Unlike your past boyfriends, Andy actually has a good heart."

Mitzi huffed. "Please. Bloom I don't know if you missed the memo, but all guys are the same in the end."

"Hey!" Ryo snapped, "I take offense to that!"

"I wouldn't," Miranda said with an eye roll. "You boys never say what you mean. That's why Roxy's going to have to make the first move at the party and admit she likes you."

Bloom saw Ryo's eyes narrow, but she could tell he was interested. "Please. Roxy's not like that."

"She's going to have to be if she wants to finally hook up with you. Though God only knows why she would."

Bloom felt Ryo's grip on her shoulder tighten. "Look Mitzi," she said, edging her way into the conversation. "We're not sure we're going. But if we change our mind's, we'll let you know."

She was rewarded with a cool grin. "Great."

* * *

"Are you all _insane_?" Anna snapped, her fork literally dropping from her hand and landing in her salad.

Bloom shrugged, setting her pasta down (if it could even be called that - more like rubber covered in cheese sauce) on the grass near her. "It'd be a good way to spend a Saturday night."

"With _Mitzi?_" Ellis asked. "Please, I'd rather move to Nebraska. No - I'd rather _walk_ to Nebraska."

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Look, if we don't show up we're going to be forever classified as the wimps who're scared of the popular crowd when said popular crowd isn't even being cruel."

Andy stared at him incredulously. Bloom and Ryo had been acting strange since the beginning of lunch. It was as though in the three hours since he'd seen them (two for Bloom), they'd completely warped their personalities. His gaze fell to Mark, who was focused on his Geometry homework. "What do you think, man?"

He shrugged, obviously uninterested. "I'm the one with the car. It's all your choice."

"Anna?"

"No way in hell."

"Ellis?"

"Same," his friend replied, taking another bite of pasta. Unlike Bloom, he was unafraid of cafeteria food. "She'd up to something. And it must be bad if she's convinced Bloom and Ryo that fast."

"There was no convincing," Bloom spoke up from her spot at the base of the tree. "I just think it could be fun."

Andy gave her a look. "And this morning you said she was up to something."

"I can change my mind, can't I?" Bloom snapped, a little colder than she meant. When Andy's eyes widened in surprise, she lowered her head, feeling her cheeks redden. "I'm just saying," she said, her voice softer. _I want to prove Mitzi wrong about you_.

Andy's eyes turned to his pink-haired friend, who was eating her cotton candy flavored ice cream, a slightly dreamy look on her face. "Roxy? What's your opinion my future PETA president?"

"Huh?" she asked, snapping out of whatever place she was in.

"The party? Are you in?"

She blushed, though Andy didn't have the faintest idea why. "I think it sounds like fun. I know we were all 'Anti Mitzi' about it, but there could be…benefits."

"Yeah," Ryo added, not looking at anyone head on. "You know how it is."

Anna stared at the both of them. "What's _with_ you two?"

Ryo and Roxy blushed and turned away from each other.

Ellis shook his head. "Look, I know this is a bad idea, but Mitzi's obviously got something up her sleeve if she invited us. More so if she's got…well," he gestured in a triangle to Bloom, Ryo, and Roxy, which only Anna, Andy, and Mark picked up on.

"Newsflash," Roxy said, "You don't have to come."

"Oh yes we do," Andy replied. "I don't need two of my best friends and my girlfriend alone at one of Mitzi's drug houses."

Anna sighed. "I don't like it but I'm in. I've got an old Mulan costume I can wear."

"Ellis?"

"A nun outfit. Don't ask," he added when everyone – even his sister, turned their surprised glares to him.

"I'll need a costume," Mark spoke up.

"Same here," Roxy agreed. "There's that Halloween costume shop two blocks away at the plaza. Who wants to hit it after school?"

"I've got a Spanish quiz I need to make up, but I'll meet you there later." Ryo said, still not looking her in the eye. Andy saw the pink haired girl roll her eyes and mutter what he thought was the word 'chicken' under her breath.

"Ok," he said, turning to face everybody. "After school those who need costumes can meet up and walk to the store. Meet here at two-fifty – five minutes after final bell. That ok?" People nodded. "Are we having dinner at East West Pizza tonight?"

Ellis shook his head. "I've got a shift to work. I'll be done at eight."

"Don't poison anybody," Ryo muttered.

Roxy took another bit of ice cream. "Well, my Dad needs help setting up the Fruity Music Bar for it's opening next week. We can help set up, and he'll probably grill some stuff for us as a thank you. Plus if it gets late we can crash up in the loft. It's a beautiful day."

Bloom nodded slowly. "That sounds good."

"I'll text the 'rents," Mark said, pulling out his phone.

"Why do _you_ always text our parents? I have thumbs you know."

"Because Ryo, my dear friend, parents love me."

"It's true," Anna said with a glare, "If Mom and Dad had it their way, they'd throw both of us out for him."

Everyone laughed, and Andy felt a sense of familiarity fall over the group. He sat down on the grass next to Bloom, plucking the grapes from her plate. "Then it's settled."

Bloom rolled her eyes and playfully took the vine of grapes back, popping a few off and dropping them into her mouth. "Buy your own food."

"That's what a girlfriend's for." He grinned, leaning down to kiss her.

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Please, if you were a loyal girlfriend you'd –"

"Say 'make him a sandwich' and you won't live to see that party." Bloom cut off, momentarily detaching her lips from Andy's.

That resulted in another eye roll, but he still leaned back against the brick wall, his big mouth quiet for once at his best friends' displays of affection. Especially since he knew a few of Bloom's motives behind it.

Well, tomorrow certainly was going to be interesting.

_Here we go again,  
__It's like you're calling all the shots before I shoot them,  
____And I hate that.  
Every time I turn my back I wonder what you'll  
say to make me sound like someone different.  
It's not worth it anymore...  
_

* * *

**Opinions?**

**So, only two chapters remain in our lovely series. How do you think the story's going to end? Let me know! Also, a little easter egg, does anyone know where Andy and Bloom principal's name (Esther Drummend) comes from? If you do know, you are going to be my favorite person for a day! Anyway, so review...Esther...two more chapters...done by Halloween...that's it! Well I've got to go to class now (History of Rock and Roll!); later guys!**

**ember**


	10. The Secret to New York

**Hello Winx fans! First off, because I **_**must **_**ask, who saw the new Winx Club special get mocked on The Soup? I did! I have to admit it was pretty funny, and they were mocking Layla so all's good! Now then, I know what you're thinking; 'hey ember, why are you posting the last two chapters together?' Well, based on previous experience and on some reviews I received, I figured it would save us all a headache!**

**Oh, but before I forget, shout-outs to Authoress-In-Training and roxy fan 4 ever for correctly telling me Esther's name is from Torchwood! If you haven't seen the series go see it! …Unless you're under 13. Then don't see it. Or don't let your parents see it. Ok, now I'm done. I'll see you at the end!**

* * *

If Andy thought Mitzi's first party was wild, it was nothing compared to the scene that now splayed out in front of him.

People in arrays of masks and capes and spandex dotted the front yard of Mitzi's house. Cobwebs sprawled out along the front porch, and through the dark windows of the mansion strobe lights blinded people. Speakers were hidden among bushes, blasting an array of mood music and the Billboard Top 100.

Ryo – dressed up like The Joker from Batman, was absently tossing his fake knife from one hand to the other. "This is wild."

"Did Mitzi invite all of Southern California?" Ellis asked. He hadn't been kidding about the nun costume – he was wearing it with the hood up, making him look more like an assassin than a church guy. At least Anna convinced him to leave the ruler at home.

Bloom shook her head. After a two-hour session of playing Alice: Madness Returns with Ryo, she knew that was who she wanted to be for Halloween. It was also nice that the costume wasn't a frumpy piece of cloth that stretched around her body, and instead looked like an actual modest dress (something that made her happy and Andy a little less happy). "I don't know. It's not a bad assumption."

"So," Mark said, adjusting the fedora on his head (he'd forgotten the money for costume shopping, and settled for coming as a mafia boss), "Since we're stuck here for a while, who's got plans?"

"I say we stake out the trampoline," Anna replied. "The further from away from these nuts we are, the better."

"Plus we'll have cover when the cops show up." Ryo grinned.

"After you call them," Roxy added.

"Shh! Someone will hear you."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Well if we're going to make claim on the trampoline, let's do it now."

"I'll go look inside for some drinks." Ryo said, eyeing two guys carrying a keg into the house.

"Make sure its _bottled_ this time," Mark said. "And don't get distracted."

"Me? Distracted? Why that is just so…hey, are those new shoes?" With a wink, he headed towards the front door, disappearing in the crowd.

"Well, if Ryo's the only thing we have to be seriously concerned about, tonight will be better than I thought."

"I told you, you were overreacting." Roxy said. "Now come on."

Much to everyone's surprise, the area near the huge ground trampoline in Mitzi's backyard was deserted – everyone was still inside the house. So when the party moved outside, no one tried to take the area. Whether that be because they were respectful or didn't want to hang out with a bunch of nerds, Andy wasn't sure. But he had his best friends, his girlfriend, and was sharing two beers Ryo had scored from inside. In his opinion, life was good.

"Ok, truth or dare?"

"…Truth."

Mark tapped his finger against the ground thoughtfully. "…Would you make out with Mitzi for a Klondike Bar?"

Ellis glared at him while everyone else burst out laughing. "What kind of question is that?"

"One from a slightly tipsy man forced to serve pizza at his little sister's slumber parties."

"Someone has a pathetic social life," Bloom sang.

"Shh, I want to hear this!" Anna insisted, waving her hand in a 'shut up' gesture. "These are the kind of things I'll tell my sister-in-law when we're middle aged and drunk."

Ellis glared at her. "Moving on…I would _not_. I love my ice cream, but not that much."

"It's not the ice cream, it's the girl."

"Hey, I don't mean to alarm anybody," Ryo said lowly. "But either Arkam City has come to life sooner than we all expected, or Elle's on her way over here with a stuffed chest."

Everyone's heads turned simultaneously in the direction of the house. Sure enough, Elle was heading toward them, dressed in a skintight Cat Woman suit. Any boy she passed had their jaw hanging halfway to the ground. The girls all rolled their eyes at each other.

"Hey all," Elle greeted, flipping her hair back behind her shoulder. "I'm glad to see you all changed your mind about tonight."

Ryo shrugged nonchalantly. "There was nothing good on T.V."

"I'm sure." She smirked. "You mind if I have a sip?" she asked, motioning to the half-drank beer bottle at Andy's side. "You're pretty much the only person I know who won't have a date rape drug in it."

Andy and Bloom exchanged a glance. Once he saw Bloom wasn't that concerned over it, he grabbed the bottle and held it out to her. "Go nuts."

"Thanks. I like the matching costumes, by the way. Alice and the Mad Hatter; too cute."

Bloom nodded. "Thanks."

"Yeah…hey, have you guys been in the house yet? The game room is _decked out_. Someone got a pre-release copy of Arkam City, and there's Guitar Hero."

"No way." Anna said, her eyes wide. Bloom could tell by the look in her eyes that her inner nerd was kicking in.

"Seriously. I was just about to head over there now. You with me?"

"Def –" Anna started to stand, but before she could Andy and Ellis grabbed her by the sash around her waist and pulled her back. She bounced back on the trampoline. "Ow! Guys!"

"I don't know," Ryo said with a shrug. "We are perfectly content where we are. Plus, there are bound to be other guys who'd be much more appreciative of that costume."

Elle looked ready to strangle him, but after a moment she regained her composure. "Aww, come on. There's so much to do here, I'm sure you all wouldn't mind a little break from each other."

While she was still talking, Anna leaned down and put her head between Bloom and Andy's shoulders. "I know we hate her, and this is probably a trap, but I _need_ to see that game. And we'll be together; strength in numbers and all that jazz."

Bloom glanced at Andy. "Cool with you?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Let's do it."

"I'll check out the game room." Ellis said, standing and hopping off the trampoline. Anna quickly followed, as did everyone else. Andy stayed on, and when the trampoline was empty he bounced until he gained enough momentum to do a front flip off it. He landed on his feet, put an arm around Bloom, and started walking, ignoring Elle's gaping jaw. "Does anyone have the time?" he asked.

"Ten thirty."

"Curfew's at midnight. Will that be enough time to sober up anyone who's tipsy?"

"I'll be fine." Mark insisted. "Ellis?"

"I'll be fine to drive, but we should probably grab some soda or something so our breath doesn't smell like beer."

"There's a few crates of soda in the dining room," Elle spoke up as they entered the house. The base was loud in their ears, and there had to be at least fifteen kids in the small hallway alone. "You guys know where it is?"

"I do," Bloom said. "How about Roxy, Ellis and I go grab some?"

"Why not all girls?"

"Oh no," Anna insisted, grabbing Ryo by the shirt collar. "I am going to see my Arkham City."

Andy chuckled and followed the smaller group up the stairs after giving Bloom a quick kiss. Upstairs seemed to be a little less crowded, until they got to the hallway by the game room. Everyone exchanged a glance and followed Elle inside. It was decorated with cobwebs and two huge TVs. One was rock band, and the other was in the middle of a cut scene from Batman. Anna grinned and practically ran over to the screen. Andy pitied the fool who had the controller.

"Hey guys, I didn't think Elle would find you."

Mitzi. Why wasn't Andy surprised? She had on a gypsy costume with a short skirt, closely resembling Esmeralda from the Disney movie. Her hair was back in a bandana, and her eyes were coated with purple shadow. She batted her eyelashes at Andy. "How's the party?"

"Insane as always," he replied. His gaze fell to the screen as the high scores for Guitar Hero popped up. "Who's been playing?"

"Mainly me and the girls. Why? Jealous?"

"You're kidding." Mark chuckled. "Those scores are pathetic."

"You dare call them 'high scores'?"

Elle glared at Ryo. "You can do better?"

"In my sleep, sweetheart."

"Should you really be calling _her_ that?" Mitzi smirked. Ryo fell silent. "Where's your little friend? It's a rare occasion she's not glued to your hip."

"Who's she talking about?" Mark whispered to Andy. His friend shrugged.

Ryo was glaring at her. "For your information, we can live for more than five minutes away from each other. But we're not talking about that. Step aside and let a real player take a crack at the game."

"I'm in," Mark added, reaching for one of the guitars.

"Ditto." Ryo said. He held his hand out to Audrey expectantly. "Drum sticks." With an eye roll she obliged.

"Aww, you're kicking us off? I thought I had a good chance of beating Andy."

"Dream on," he said, grabbing a guitar. "The three of us could beat you blindfolded."

"Is that a bet?" she smirked.

Andy glared at her. So _that_ was the plan. "What're the stakes?"

She tapped a purple finger against her cheek, as though deep in thought. "If I win…I get twenty seconds of lip time. Anything goes."

It got quiet. People were slowly gathering around; even Anna, who had the other Xbox controller in her hand. She rushed forward and grabbed Andy by the shoulder. "Don't. We all know it's a bad idea."

"Nobody asked you."

"Shut up, bitch." Anna snapped. She got the reward of seeing Mitzi's eyes widen in pure shock. "Have you considered you don't have a boyfriend because you're only good for display, not purchase?"

"Anna!" Before Mitzi could charge forward and tear her to shreds or vice versa, Mark grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her towards the edge of the circle forming around the TV. "You're going to get us killed."

"No, I'm going to get arrested once I put this controller through her thick skull." But she didn't move, and her tense shoulders relaxed.

"What do you say Andy?" Mitzi asked again.

"I want something if I win."

"Anything in mind?"

"You. Out of my life. You don't mess with me or Bloom for the rest of the semester."

She shrugged and held out her hand. "Deal."

"Don't do it." Mark muttered under his breath.

Andy shook her hand. "Let's do it."

"Ladies first." Ryo said. "I mean, Audrey's the only one on your team, but still."

"Ooh!" the crowd yelled.

Audrey smirked. "Fine." She turned and grabbed a water from the nearby cooler. She screwed off the cap and took a large gulp. "Anybody else want one for the show?"

"Pass me one." Andy said. He caught it as it was thrown at him (probably aimed for his skull). He twisted the cap easily and downed half of it. "This'll be better than a comedy movie."

Mitzi smirked. "Maybe."

* * *

"Soda, people," Roxy muttered as they looked through the freezer. "It's not that bad of a concept."

"I give up," Ellis said, his feet dangling from the counter. His nun costume was gathered at his hips so his legs were free. Thank God he'd worn jeans under it. "There isn't a non alcoholic beverage in this whole place."

"Found it!" Bloom called from the walk-in pantry.

"I stand corrected."

Bloom re-entered the main kitchen, carrying a twelve pack of Pepsi. She set it down on the counter and opened it up, passing the sodas around. "They aren't that cold, but they should do the trick."

"Didn't they prove this false on MythBusters or something?" Roxy asked, taking a long gulp.

"Probably," Ellis said, cringing as he swallowed. "Pepsi. Disgusting."

"Coke person?"

"Since birth, my girl."

"Hey, so long as we don't get grounded, you can keep chugging."

"Excuse me," a voice spoke up from behind them. They all turned to see a boy with jet-black hair and an Elvis costume. "Could I have one of those."

"Mask alcohol?" Roxy smirked.

He grinned and shrugged. "Got me."

"I'm sure with your costume, you can guess the price," she smirked, handing him a drink.

He laughed and took a deep breath, then curled his upper lip. "A-thank you. Thank ya very much."

Everyone laughed and applauded. The boy gave a fake bow and took a long swig. "I suck I know."

"No," Roxy shook her head. "It wasn't bad."

"I haven't seen you around." Ellis said. "You from Gardenia High?"

"New transfer. I'm Dylan."

"I'm Ellis. This is Bloom – despite the hair she has a soul." The comment caused Bloom to throw her empty can at him, which he dodged easily. "And this is Roxy."

He nodded. "I love the pink wig."

"It's real."

"Shut up. That's so cool. I can't believe your parents let you."

She shrugged. "My Dad's pretty laid back."

Bloom and Ellis exchanged a glance. "Let's go meet up with the others." She said slowly, grabbing a few more sodas out of the container.

"Yeah," Ellis agreed. "Dylan? You want to come?"

"So long as I'm not a third wheel or anything."

Ellis and Bloom looked at each other and laughed. "No way, man. _Her_ boyfriend's upstairs. We've been friends since third grade."

Dylan laughed. "A permanent resident of the friend zone, are we?"

"As I am with him." Bloom replied.

"Well, I'm sure your real boyfriend's fantastic."

* * *

"Ryo, you've got to save me!"

"That's the third time, you moron! _Play!_"

"I am playing!"

"Come on Andy!" Anna yelled. She'd never seen them perform so terribly. Her friend seemed utterly lost, and Mark's guitar wasn't working, despite it's direct connection to the TV. Ryo was the only one performing with any quality, and even then it was bad. Suddenly, the screen dropped, replaced with a large text that read 'Challenge Failed'.

Andy stared at it miraculously. The other girls had finished the set. That meant…

"All right ladies!" Elle yelled as she, Mitzi and Audrey shared a group hug.

"No. That's _impossible._"

"And we supposedly sucked," Audrey laughed.

Anna approached the boys. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know…I feel so weird…"

"I'm guessing you've never had vodka."

They turned to look at the girls, all of them smirking. "What do you mean?" Mark asked slowly.

"That water had vodka mixed in. It was for the sappy nerds who wanted to just mess with my game room. I assumed you knew by the taste."

"You put alcohol in my drink to make me lose!"

"It's your own fault really." Mitzi said nonchalantly as a smirk spread across her face. "But with glorious outcomes if you ask me."

"Can I kiss Ryo?" Audrey giggled, putting her arm around him.

Mark's eyes widened. He grabbed Anna and started to pull her through the crowd. "We've got to find Bloom before she sees this."

"No shit, Sherlock. But where do we find them."

"I'm assuming the kitchen." He replied as they made their way out of the main crowd. They ran for the door and threw it open.

And promptly came ace to face with Bloom, Ellis, Roxy, and an unknown boy.

Bloom gave them an odd look. "Um, are we –"

"Come on," Anna said before she could finish, grabbing her arm and starting to drag her down the hallway. "We need some cold water, a bucket, and possibly a crowbar."

"Anna what's happening?"

"Nothing. Why would anything be happening?"

"Anna," Ellis said sternly. "What's going on?"

She looked at Mark, who shrugged helplessly. "Maybe we should –"

"Wow." Dylan commented before he could finish. "Who's the dude in the Mad Hatter costume sucking face with Mitzi?"

Anna cringed, and Bloom's face went cold. "What?"

"Now Bloom we can explain…"

Before Anna could say anything else, Bloom stormed down the hallway and back into the room. Either the crowds were parted just right, or they'd heard her loud stomping, but there was an opening to where the Guitar Hero supplies were set up. And she could clearly see Mitzi entangled with Andy, their lips interlocked. _Her_ Andy. Her _boyfriend_. And even worse, he was letting her do it. There was certainly enough yelling around them to snap him out of a shock.

When Bloom saw him put a hand on her shoulder, she reeled her arm back and threw one of the soda cans at him. It hit him square on the head, knocking his lips away from hers. When he turned and saw her, his jaw dropped.

Before he could say anything, she turned and raced out of the room.

Roxy stared at Andy with equal shock. "Andy?"

"Roxy I can explain…"

"What the hell is your problem? How could you…"

She trailed off as her eyes landed on Ryo. Audrey's arms were around him, and she saw a pink rose lying near their feet. Audrey caught sight of her, and with a smirk crushed the rose under a stiletto heel.

So much for that bouquet.

"Roxy did you hear what I said? It was just a bet…"

She gulped. "I need to go find Bloom."

"Already on it," Anna said, and ran out of the room.

"What's wrong with you?" Ellis asked.

"Nothing." She shook her head. "It's more like what's wrong with _you guys_, anyway. How –"

Just as she was about to speak, Dylan grabbed her behind, spun her around, and crashed his lips onto hers.

Ellis looked at them in shock, and then back at Mark and Ryo. He was going to turn back, but he noticed Ryo's ears turning red, and saw his jaw clenched. Mark turned too, and caught sight of Ryo, and Andy saw Mitzi and Elle smirking behind them.

It clicked in all three boys' heads at the same time. Ellis and Mark rushed forward and grabbed Roxy, yanking her backwards and away from Dylan. She turned and ran out of the room after Bloom. Andy then stepped forward and put his shot-put arm to use, giving Dylan a right hook that knocked him into the cooler. "Don't touch her ever again, or you'll answer to me."

"Ooh, I'm shaking." He snapped, his voice less friendly.

"How much did she pay you?"

"I didn't _pay_," Mitzi spoke up. She was grinning cheekily. "He's family."

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Let's go find the girls."

"But I still have at least ten seconds left."

Andy's fists clenched. Before Mark, Ellis, or Ryo (who was just starting to understand what' happened) could stop him, he rushed forward and grabbed Mitzi by the front of her dress, yanking her against him. There was a deadly look in his eyes. The room became silent, everyone staring at him.

"Get. Over me." He finally said, his voice low. "I don't know what fueled this insane obsession with me, but I am _really_ sick of it. And you've just hurt three people I love a lot. If you had a decent bone in your entire body, you'd be upset like me. But all you care about is yourself. Let me be clear," he said, his eyes turning to look at Elle and Audrey, who had their jaws dropped. "You are all heartless, and I will _never_ care about you. And you," he turned back to Mitzi, "are the most pathetic thing I've ever seen." He let go of her then, and she reeled back. "I'm going to find Bloom, and I don't want any of your ridiculous tricks, understand? Let's go guys."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and stalked walking. And as he did, someone started clapping. Then another person. Then another. Mark and Ryo followed him, then Ellis. By the time they reached the hall, they had a huge round of applause cheering them on.

"Does anyone know where they went?"

At that moment, Ellis' phone went off. Everyone turned to look at him as he pulled it out and read. "It's Anna." He said. "She has my car. The girls left."

Ryo banged his head against the wall. "Shit."

Andy stood there, not really believing the words. "What just happened?"

Ellis cringed a little. "I think…you were just dumped."

_...Baby, it's over now,  
Maybe, my ups are all downtown,  
So far away, I'm too lost to be found.  
Baby, this time we're through.  
Maybe, I guess you knewNothing matters anymore..._


	11. Ocean Avenue

"Come on man, it wasn't that bad."

"Oh it was that bad," Andy groaned, falling back against the couch at Starbucks. He, Ryo, Mark, Ellis, Anna, and Roxy all sat around him on various couches and chairs. On the coffee table in the center of them sat an array of coffees, teas (water for Anna, who was trying to lay off the caffeine), and muffins. People were moving around them, like it was a regular Sunday.

Except in Andy's mind it was the worst Sunday in the history of all Sunday's.

"What did I even do?" he asked, letting his head fall in his hands.

"Well, if you had to ask someone, I'd think you got drunk, and Mitzi used it to her own personal advantage."

Mark glared at Ryo while Roxy hit him upside the head. "Rhetorical question, dumbass."

"Ok, ok, don't beat me up over it," Ryo snapped, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"Oh please, I barely hit you!"

"Says the girl who could double on the boxing team."

"Ok, you know what -"

"Everybody chill!" Ellis snapped. Everyone turned to stare at him, and he gave a long sigh. "You two," he said, pointing to Roxy and Ryo. "I don't know what happened between you two last night, but_get over it_. You're still the same best friends you were before Mitzi screwed with us all."

The two glanced guiltily at each other. Andy had only heard a little bit of the chaos Mitzi had caused with two of his best friends. Of course it didn't surprise him that the two had a thing for each other, but he was more than upset Mitzi had called it out in the middle of the party - and then tried to turn them against each other.

"And you," Ellis continued, his gaze falling to Andy. "So you screwed up. Just explain it to Bloom. You know how she is. I guarantee you she's not as upset you think."

Andy reached for a slice of lemon pound cake. "I don't know...she's mad enough at me already. Someone said her parents were thinking of putting her in boarding school."

"Better than stay here with Mitzi," Anna muttered.

"You think she'd go?" Mark asked.

Andy shrugged. "At first she told me she wouldn't leave all of us. But after this weekend..." he trailed off, his eyes falling to Anna. She was sitting there; unnaturally quiet, picking lint off her blue and brown-striped sweater. "Did Bloom say anything to you this morning? You told me she went out early to get some stuff for Vanessa."

"She didn't say anything or call my cell," she said after a moment. "But I didn't check my phone. I've been busy."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Busy with what?"

Anna and Ellis exchanged a glance. "Packing."

Roxy almost dropped her cup of tea. "Oh no."

"Dad got another transfer," Ellis said quietly. "They want him to work head chef at one of the restaurants in Lower Manhattan."

"New York! You can't!"

"We don't want to," Anna insisted, "but this is a really big opportunity for Dad. We need to support him."

Mark opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and closed it again. "How long?" he finally managed to say.

"At least a year; even longer if they like him. We're working on trying to stay with our Uncle Peter out here..."

"But it won't be easy with your parents on the other coast," Roxy finished dully. "Oh guys..."

Ellis reached out and squeezed her hand. "We've still got three weeks before we leave. And when Bloom and Andy make up, we'll all spend a weekend at Disney or something."

"Just so long as Ryo doesn't get us kicked out again," Mark muttered.

"Hey, I don't like the Jonas Brothers. Sue me, ok?"

There was a round of laughs. Mark put his arm around Anna. "We're going to miss you guys."

"And we'll miss you," Anna said. "But we can call, text, Skype, Facebook, MySpace..."

Ryo laughed. "You still have a MySpace?"

"I follow bands on it, ok!"

"Hipster."

Anna threw her straw wrapper at him.

"But before you guys go," Ryo said, standing from his chair, "we need to get Bloom and lover boy back together."

Andy went from slightly better back down to bad. "Oh no guys..."

"Oh yes guys," Mark said, standing and dragging Andy up with him. "In fact, let's start now. Anna, where did you say Bloom was going this morning?"

* * *

"All right, so V needs two dozen hydrangeas, a dozen roses, and half a dozen wild daises?"

Bloom nodded dully, absently stroking the top of Kiko's head. "And a few apples too, Mr. Geniero."

The middle-aged man nodded, pulling the flowers from the back of his truck. The farmer's market in the center of Gardenia was crowded with a diversity of people; the craft-obsessed mothers dragging their children along in strollers (or those crazy kid leashes), old ladies getting fresh produce, and the group of guys on the corner looking to help people with yard work. And best of all, Bloom hadn't seen Andy around.

Mr. Geniero set the flowers down on his table, eyeing Bloom curiously. "Are you ok, hon? You seem quiet."

The redhead snapped out of her daze enough to give a polite smile. "Fine, sir. Just tired. Halloween weekend, everything was pretty crazy."

He nodded. "Angela and I had quite a few little visitors to our house last night. I remember when you used to be that tiny; came to our door dressed like a fairy every year. Ah, where's the time gone?"

Bloom shrugged, remembering her favorite costume and how the wings had been just the right shade of silver. "I'd like to know just as much as you. Back then things certainly weren't that...complicated."

The man chuckled. "Yes. Those were the days." He trailed off when he saw Bloom drifting again. "Let me tell you something, kiddo. If you spend your days dwelling on the bad stuff in this world, you'll never do a single positive thing. You follow?"

"...I think I do."

He laughed again, placing the flowers into a bag. "I'm just telling you, relax. If things aren't all perfect it's not the end of the world. You should focus on the good stuff, not the bad."

Slowly, Bloom nodded. "Yeah...you're right."

"There's a girl," he smiled, handing over the flowers and apples. "Now, here's all you need, and if your mother says you need any Water Lillis, you come to me first."

Bloom laughed, putting the plants in the basket on her bike. "All right. Thank you, sir."

He laughed as she started to ride off, much happier than how she'd been before. "Oh Bloom! Say hello to your mother for me!"

"Will do Mr. Geniero! See you later!"

* * *

"Don't make me do this, guys."

"I'm sure you'd like that," Mark said as he and Ryo practically dragged him down the street. "Come, you'll have to face her eventually."

"But can't I face her later? Tomorrow, next week, next year..."

"Hey, if I can face my fear of roller coasters, you can do this," Ryo insisted, unusually cheery. He and Roxy must've made up before everyone split at the café. Andy saw his eyes fall on a blond girl on the other side of the street, running toward the park in an orange dress and a pair of fake wings. She was constantly running into people and tripping in the ridiculous heels she was wearing. "Hey Halloween was yesterday, sister!" he yelled to her. "Lay off the booze next time!"

"He's right," Mark added, ignoring the girl. "All you have to do is break the ice."

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out a few folded pieces. Carefully, he unfolded it partially so that only the top was showing and handed it over to Andy. He took it and looked it over, and his jaw promptly dropped at the logo on the top of the page. "It's from AP. My sister found the e-mail this morning and printed it out for me."

"Did you read it?"

His friend grinned sheepishly. "I was too nervous. You guys do it, and call us later."

Andy looked down, trying to read through the paper, but it was too thick. "Guys..."

Ryo patted his shoulder. "I talked to Mr. Geniero, and he said he saw Bloom heading towards the park. We've got total confidence in you."

He glanced toward Gardenia Central Park. Maybe it was the fact he'd lost his glasses again, but it seemed really far away and _very_ intimidating.

"Don't be a wuss," Mark added. "Just do it."

Andy took a deep breath. "If you don't hear from me in an hour, she murdered me and buried me in the woods."

"We're in Southern California; the woods don't exist here. Only storm drains to shove bodies to be eaten by the rats."

He shuddered. "Thanks Ryo."

"Anytime, friend."

* * *

"Man, I could win a 'stalker of the year' award," Andy muttered as he walked along the dirt on the path, checking any nook and cranny of the area for his girlfriend.

Well, he hoped he could still call her his girlfriend.

He sighed, stopping on the side to let a group of bikers pass. Maybe this was stupid. He knew Bloom wouldn't be up to talking with him right now, and probably wouldn't be until at least Wednesday.

The sound of a bike bell distracted him. He turned just in time to see a red bike flash by, the rider wearing jeans and a crop top with a wave of red hair.

Bingo.

Andy took up down the path following the marks the bike had left until he found himself in a little clearing near a dense patch of trees. He saw Bloom get off the bike and lead it over to a tree, the basket full of flowers - probably for Vanessa. Andy smiled lightly as he saw Kiko hop out of the basket and dart toward the trees. Bloom laughed. "Go find an acorn and I'll toss is around with you," she called to him. She grabbed an apple and sat down at the base of the tree, taking a large bite.

Andy raised an eyebrow. She sure didn't look like someone who was distraught over a breakup.

As he pondered this, a breeze came up, almost blowing the papers out of his hands. He caught the first page as it started to fly away, the momentum opened up the paper. He tried his hardest, but his eyes couldn't help but look down at the words.

_Ouch; life sucks sometimes! We regret to inform you that your band will _not_ be featured..._

Time seemed to slow down a little. As if the last twenty-four hours wasn't bad enough, this was pretty much adding salt to the wound. Andy's gaze fell back to Bloom, who was still under the tree looking up at the sky. He knew from the look on her face she was thinking about drawing the landscape.

He looked back down at the paper, then back at her. With a sigh, he shoved the papers into his coat pocket. After seeing the train wreck Bloom had turned into last night, he was relieved to see she was doing better.

And he didn't want to be the reason she broke down again.

Making sure he didn't make any loud noises, Andy turned and started walking back to the main path. He didn't care what Mark and Ryo said; now was a bad time to try and talk to her. He could try and catch her at school on Monday, maybe during P.E. And he could talk to Oliver and see if he could get in another dinner date at the wharf…

Andy glanced back as Kiko hopped back toward Bloom, jumping around erratically. He wondered if the curious little rabbit had come across another wasp's nest. Bloom rolled her eyes, and after a moment stood up and followed him into the woods. For a second he wondered if he should follow and make sure Bloom was ok.

_Nah,_ he thought, turning back around. _She'd be fine._

Besides, it wasn't like she was about to disappear off the face of the Earth.

___If I could find you now,  
__Things would get better.  
__We could leave this town,  
__And run forever  
Let your waves crash down on me  
And take me away..._

* * *

**Well, that's about all I can do. Thank you all _so_ much for the support with this story. With (currently) 65 reviews, over 4.000 hits, and the support of so many, I couldn't have done this without you. I'm hoping you'll leave your final review with what you thought, because I will really appreciate it. Also, please keep in mind the words you use. I have the right to block anonymous reviews at any time, and delete yours if it's under an anonymous name. You can critique, but please don't be 'OMG you broke them up HOW COULD YOU!'. The story is a sort or prequel, so it had to happen.**

**Anyway, thanks for the huge support, the feedback, and just for checking out the story. I love you guys!**

**Peace Out!**

**ember**

**Song List**

**Damn Rough Night (Artist vs. Poet)**

**A Party Song (The Walk of Shame) [All Time Low]**

**I Don't Wanna Be In Love (Good Charlotte)**

**The Art of Losing (American Hi-Fi)**

**Fool Everyone (A Rocket to the Moon)**

**Love, Lust, or Losing It (Farewell Fighter)**

**You Make Me Feel... (Cobra Starship)**

**Let's Kill Tonight (Panic! At The Disco)**

**Rumor Mill (We Are The In Crowd)**

**The Secret to New York (We The Kings)**

**Ocean Avenue (Yellowcard)**


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